New findings that the temperature (cooling) effects of existing aerosol pollution may be substantial and warrant serious study in the context of large scale emissions reductions- supporting the possibility that we are already engaged in inadvertent solar radiation intervention at scale.
--------- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1169007/Climate-change-goal-Laws-combat-acid-rain-DRIVING-Arctic-warming-claims-Nasa.html Mail Online Climate change 'own goal': Laws to combat acid rain are DRIVING Arctic warming, claims Nasa By Cher Thornhill Last updated at 7:16 PM on 10th April 2009 It is widely recognised that humans are their own worst enemies when it comes to global warming. But the latest research from Nasa suggests laws created to preserve the environment are causing much of the damage. Legislation to improve air quality and cut acid rain has accounted for a shocking half of Arctic warming over the past three decades, the space agency reports. Enlarge Aerosol scattering Aerosol effect: Particles in the atmosphere reflect and absorb the sun's rays Climate scientist Drew Shindell of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York found that declines in solid 'aerosol' particles brought in under laws to improve air quality likely triggered 45 per cent of temperature rises. Aerosols - including the man-made particles sulfates and soot - have a direct impact on climate change by reflecting and absorbing the sun's radiation, Nasa explains. But laws brought in by the U.S. and European countries over the past three decades have slashed emissions of sulfates, and with them atmospheric cooling. [image] The revelation shakes the theory that greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide, are the main problem in the fight to steady the planet's climate. Shindell said: 'There's a tendency to think of aerosols as small players, but they're not. Right now, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in the Arctic, the impact of aerosols is just as strong as that of greenhouse gases. 'We will have very little leverage over climate in the next couple of decades if we're just looking at carbon dioxide. 'If we want to stop the Arctic summer sea ice from melting completely over the next few decades, we're much better off looking at aerosols and ozone.' Enlarge Nasa graphic Wrong target: Arctic temperatures have shot up by 1.5C since clean air regulations were introduced Temperatures in the North Pole are of critical concern to climate enthusiasts. Many believe that melting of the ice caps could lead to catastrophic rises in sea level - even enough to rupture the Thames Barrier and flood the capital. For the study, Shindell and colleagues modelled the effects of carbon dioxide, ozone and aerosols on different regions of the Earth using an ocean-atmosphere system. They found that aerosols made an unprecedented contribution to warming, and that the high latitudes affected corresponded to those that have witnessed the greatest temperature rises since 1976. Temperatures in the Arctic have climbed by 1.5C since the 1970s - far exceeding the modest 0.35C increase in the Antarctic, where aerosols play a much smaller role, Nasa claims. Two types of aerosols affected - sulfates and black carbons - are believed to be critical players in climate change, both of which are man-made. Shindell said the findings make sense, explaining that the aerosols, most of which are pumped out from the industrial regions of North America and Europe, drift up and congregate in the Arctic. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1169007/Climate-change-goal-Laws-combat-acid-rain-DRIVING-Arctic-warming-claims-Nasa.html#ixzz0UUuoM5HK Kelly Wanser Director Silver Lining 415-734-6790 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
