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Can someone explain why aerosols are decreasing in their graph? A definition of what they consider an aerosol would be a good start, which I didn't see on ther
by lend000 10y ago
Can someone explain why aerosols are decreasing in their graph?
A definition of what they consider an aerosol would be a good start, which I didn't see on there. Apparently the term can cover a large number of natural and unnatural compositions of matter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosol
- emodendroket 10y agoWeren't they regulated after acid rain and ozone layer concerns in the 90s?
- mirimir 10y agoYes, SOX were regulated to mitigate acid rain, and particulates for health reasons. But then China starting burning massive amounts of dirty coal, with virtually no emissions controls. And that reduced global warming.
- TazeTSchnitzel 10y agoAerosols aren't decreasing, the line shows the effect on the average temperature. Aerosols have a negative effect.
- stale2002 10y agoAerosols are not decreasing. They are increasing. But increasing amounts of Aerosols causes Global Cooling, not warming, which is why the graph angles downwards.
- mirimir 10y agoAerosols are not decreasing, but rather increasing. They reduce insolation, both directly and by increasing cloudiness. So they counteract greenhouse forcing. The main anthropogenic aerosols are sulfur oxides and particulates from fuel combustion. And potentially, crap from nuclear explosions ("nuclear winter"). Main natural sources are deserts, sea salt and volcanoes. So anyway, if China manages to reduce its aerosol emissions faster than its CO2 emissions, mean global temperature will likely increase even faster.