Cleaner skies has allowed more of the sun's rays to pierce the atmosphere, contributing to at least half the global warming that has occurred.
For past three decades, Europe has been following the trend of saying goodbye to air pollution and smoky chimneys but a new study has shown that cleaning up the skies has allowed more of the sun's rays to pierce the atmosphere, contributing to at least half the global warming that has occurred.
Average air temperatures in Europe have risen 1C since 1980, which is much more than expected from greenhouse-gas warming alone.
One Third of Coral Reefs Facing Destruction
Global warming compounded by destructive fishing habits could be driving nearly a third of coral reefs across the world to destruction.
Global warming compounded by destructive fishing habits could be driving nearly a third of coral reefs across the world to destruction.
They found that aerosol concentrations dropped by up to 60 per cent over the 29-year period, while solar radiation rose by around 1 watt per square metre.
"The decrease in aerosols probably accounts for at least half of the warming over Europe in the last 30 years," New Scientist quoted Rolf Philipona, a co-author of the study at MeteoSwiss, Switzerland's national weather service, as saying.
Grassland Ecosystems in Europe may Repel Global Warming
New results from a long-term experiment indicate that grassland ecosystems found in higher altitudes throughout Western Europe may be resistant to climate change.
New results from a long-term experiment indicate that grassland ecosystems found in higher altitudes throughout Western Europe may be resistant to climate change.
However, the researchers found that radiation dropped only slightly on cloudy days, suggesting that the main impact of aerosols is to block sunlight directly.
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Sunscreens in the Sky may Be Ineffective in Controlling Global Warming
A new study has determined that a proposal to reverse climate change by placing mirrors in the sky to reflect sunlight away from Earth would be useless in combating global warming.
A new study has determined that a proposal to reverse climate change by placing mirrors in the sky to reflect sunlight away from Earth would be useless in combating global warming.
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Research Finds Ozone Being Destroyed Over Tropical Atlantic Ocean
Scientists have discovered that large amounts of ozone - around 50% more than predicted by the world's state-of-the-art climate models - are being destroyed in the lower atmosphere
Scientists have discovered that large amounts of ozone - around 50% more than predicted by the world's state-of-the-art climate models - are being destroyed in the lower atmosphere
