Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Study: Upper-Atmosphere Particles Slow Pace of Global Warming

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/environment/Study-Upper-Atmosphere-Particles-Slow-Pace-of-Global-Warming-127323103.html

A recent study by scientists has shown that tiny particles released high into the Earth’s atmosphere are actually helping slow down global warming.  The particles, known as aerosois, are blocking radiation from the sun which in turn, helps cool the Earth’s surface.  According to researchers, this has been enough to help slow down “global warming.”  Scientists say that since 2001, the Earth has been warming at a slower pace than in other decades.  Some examples of low-altitude aerosois are a part of our everyday lives.  The soot from factories and vehicles that make up city smog are an example of low-altitude aerosois.  Scientists also tend to agree, that the way to counteract global warming is not to combat it directly, but to find cleaner renewable sources of energy.  

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like good news to me. If global warming is really even a problem it appears that we are on the path to slowing its effects.

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  2. I agree that it is good that the global warming can be slowed by aerosois. But isn't a bit of a double edged sword? Soot from factories and vehicles that make smog is one way that aerosois occurs, but then again smog and greenhouse gases are one of the believed causes of global warming in the first place. I'm just really wondering whether aerosois is actually a good thing or just something some scientist put out there to make us feel a little optimistic.

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