In our daily life, dust is just a nuisance that we just need to wipe off. On a global scale, however, dust carried around the globe by air currents affects the temperature of the planet. A new study shows that this dust may be masking the true impact of greenhouse gases on climate change, and that changes in dust abundance could lead to a sharp rise in global temperatures. I’m here.
Each year, millions of tons of dust enter the atmosphere from deserts around the world. About 50% of this dust comes from the Sahara and Sahel deserts, about 40% from deserts in Asia, and the rest from North America and scattered deserts in the Southern Hemisphere. As dust travels along rivers in the atmosphere and eventually falls to the ground, it has various effects on the temperature of the planet.
For example, dust in the atmosphere reflects light rays and helps keep the planet cooler. The global dust cycle also keeps things cool by carrying nutrients like phosphorus and iron to the oceans. These nutrients promote the growth of phytoplankton, which act as carbon dioxide sinks. On the ground, however, dust falls on snow and ice, causing it to darken and heat up more easily, contributing to global warming.
According to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), dust’s balance sheet has remained precarious. It is not clear whether it has a net cooling or heating effect on global temperatures. measured the amount of dust circulating around the planet. They also took core samples from icefields, peat bogs, and marine sediments for historical comparison points.
They found that the amount of dust in our atmosphere has steadily increased over time. equivalent to 26 million tonnes, a 55% increase since the mid-1800s. This increase in airborne dust particles has masked up to 8% of the warming caused by greenhouse gases and has had a net cooling effect on global temperatures, researchers say.
This means that if the amount of dust in the atmosphere were to decrease (a recurring event throughout history), temperatures could rise by about 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit. That may not seem like a huge jump, but the researchers say that human activity has already warmed the Earth by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit, so even a tenth of a degree would put him at a dangerous 2.7 degrees. The closer you get to a higher rise.
According to the study’s lead author, UCLA atmospheric physicist Jasper Kok, the true value of ultimately determining the impact of atmospheric dust on planetary temperatures lies in the combination of it and its potential loss with existing climate models. It is to be woven into.
“The dust increase didn’t cause much cooling. Climate models are still close, but our findings suggest that greenhouse gases alone will produce even more than models currently predict.” “By adding the increase in desert dust, which accounts for more than half the mass of particulate matter in the atmosphere, climate models We can increase the accuracy of our forecasts, which is very important because better forecasts can inform better decisions on how to mitigate or adapt to climate change.”
The study was published in a journal nature review earth and environment.
Source: UCLA
