New research suggests that sea-salt aerosols seed large raindrops that starve clouds of water needed to make lightning. But not all scientists are convinced it’s simply about salt spray.
aerosols & particles
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracking Water in the Tongan Volcano’s Massive Eruption Plume
The recent eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai volcano blasted sulfate aerosols and a record-breaking amount of water vapor into the stratosphere.
Posted inNews
Tracking Climate Through Ship Exhaust
International regulations have reduced aerosol pollutants released from ships. Now, researchers want to use ship tracks to better understand the ambiguous effects that cleaner air has on climate.
Posted inScience Updates
A Post-Impact Deep Freeze for Dinosaurs
New research supports the hypothesis that dinosaurs were done in by climate change after an asteroid impact kicked up a massive plume of sulfur gases that circled the globe for several decades.
Posted inNews
Irrigation in Indo-Gangetic Plain Has Little Impact on Heat Stress
Irrigation-related cooling during summer months is overestimated by roughly 5 times, highlighting the need for climate models to accurately reflect local agricultural practices.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plant-Nibbling Insects May Make It Cloudier and Cooler
Insects that eat plant leaves could change the local atmosphere, but current climate models do not account for this impact.
Posted inNews
The Complex Relationship Between Hurricanes, Air Pollution, and Climate
A new study focuses on the frequency and distribution of tropical cyclones over the past 40 years.
Posted inNews
El aire nocivo a la salud podría volverse rutinario en el Pacífico Noroeste
Si el mundo continúa utilizando combustibles fósiles, la contaminación por partículas finas derivadas del humo de incendios podría duplicarse de finales de verano a inicios de otoño en el área del Pacífico Noroeste en los EE.UU. para el año 2100.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Despite Improvements, China’s Air Remains Unsafe
Toxic particulate matter has decreased by about a third over the past decade, but levels are still above what’s considered healthy.