The presence of nitryl chloride in polluted urban air can enhance the production of ozone by up to 41%, according to a new modeling study constrained by ground-based measurements.
aerosols & particles
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Evaluating the Impact of Maryland's Healthy Air Act
Reducing emissions of short-lived gaseous sulfur pollutants from power plants had an immediate, local benefit, but controlling longer-lasting harmful particulate matter will require regional action.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Blowin’ in the Wind: Observing Stratospheric Aerosols
New observations and understanding of stratospheric particles are crucial for evaluating their role in climate change.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Decade of Progress in Stratospheric Aerosol Research
Enhanced technology and chemistry-climate models have advanced our understanding of the sources and processes controlling the evolution of the stratospheric aerosol layer, the so-called Junge layer.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The High Cost of Switching Power Sources
Researchers construct a world where nuclear energy everywhere is replaced with coal, with stark consequences for human health and the environment.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Fewer Tropical Cyclones Form After Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic eruptions aren't all bad—in some cases, they can lower the frequency of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic by emitting sulfate aerosols.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Detecting Black Carbon in the Arctic Atmosphere
Measurements of light-absorbing carbon particles made during an Arctic research expedition could improve understanding of their effects on the Arctic climate.
Posted inScience Updates
Mexico's University Network of Atmospheric Observatories
Increasing cooperation in Mexico benefits climatologists, meteorologists, and science as a whole.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Aerosols Make Cumulus Clouds Brighter but Shorter Lived
Computer simulations show that although adding aerosol particles to clouds can make them more reflective, the cooling effect from clouds is largely counterbalanced by a reduction in overall cloud cover.
Posted inNews
Mercury in Rain Increasing in Western and Central United States
Despite tightening emissions rules, mercury concentrations are rising in rainfall wetting western and central regions of the United States. The pollutant may waft in from Asia, scientists speculate.