The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Assessment Report 6 (AR6), stated that the recent climate change is “widespread, rapid, intensifying and unprecedented in thousands of years.” It is further noted: “Climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in multiple ways. The changes we experience will increase with …
About half of the global gas and particle emissions to the atmosphere resulting from the burning of biomass originate from sub-Saharan Africa. There are four principal pathways: wildfires, the use of biomass fuels for energy, burning associated with deforestation and the burning of agricultural residues.
This document details the Black Carbon Research Initiative launched by India as part of the National Carbonaceous Aerosols Programme (NCAP). This joint initiative of several government ministries & leading research institutions builds on the existing work and sets out the science programme to respond to the scientific questions surrounding Black …
The surface warming due to emissions of black-carbon aerosols over the second half of the twentieth century has been identified in observations. These findings will inform debate over the climatic effects of controlling such emissions.
Black carbon landing on snow may be accelerating the melting of Himalayan glaciers more than atmospheric soot or even greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), according to a study.
Measurements of submicron particles by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in 14 campaigns in North America, Asia, South America, and Europe were used to identify characteristic organic functional group compositions of fuel combustion, terrestrial vegetation, and ocean bubble bursting sources, each of which often accounts for more than a third of …
The seasonal variability of biomass open burning activities in the Greater Mekong sub-region (GMS) with focus on carbon monoxide (CO) and total particulate matter or aerosol (TPM) emissions was investigated in order to document the characteristics of this significant source of air pollutants in the region.
Biomass burning is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions, most importantly carbon dioxide (CO2). In this study, we used burnt area estimates derived from the L3JRC product to estimate the CO2 emissions from forests. The results suggested than an average of 2,414 sq.kms is burnt annually.
Distributions and climate impacts of biomass-burning aerosols were simulated by a global aerosol climate model, SPRINTARS, which was fully coupled to a general circulation model. The model included calculations of the direct, semi-direct and indirect effects of aerosols.
The purpose of this study is to explore whether sustained exposure to vehicular air pollution affects the behavior and activities of children. The prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was assessed in two childhood populations. In a cross-sectional study 969 school-going children (9–17 years) and 850 age- and sex-matched children …
POLLUTION IN THE HIMALAYAS Soot gets everywhere. Even into the world's highest mountains T HE Himalayas and the adjacent Tibetan plateau are sometimes referred to as the Earth's third pole, because of the amount of ice they host. They are also known as Asia's water tower. Their glaciers feed the …
Extensive measurements of columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD), composite (MT) and black carbon aero- sol mass (MB) concentrations were made over the tropical Indian and Southern Oceans as a part of the Pilot Expedition to the Southern Ocean during the boreal winter. The AOD, MT and MB show large lati- …
Impact of black carbon on climate by J.Srinivasan, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore presented at the South Asian Media Briefing on Climate Change, CSE, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 24
Desert dust perturbs climate by directly and indirectly interacting with incoming solar and outgoing long wave radiation, thereby changing precipitation and temperature, in addition to modifying ocean and land biogeochemistry. While we know that desert dust is sensitive to perturbations in climate and human land use, previous studies have been …
With global warming hitting the Tibetan plateau hard, scientists gather to plan an international research campaign to understand and mitigate changes at the 'third pole'.
HOW cloudy is it outside? Will it rain? The answers may depend on the level of atmospheric pollution in one’s region. Cloud-forming microscopic particles, called aerosols, absorb and reflect solar radiation. These particles have the ability to modify cloud formation and encourage or suppress precipitation. They can be released from …
Emissions of a broad range of greenhouse gases of varying lifetimes contribute to global climate change. Carbon dioxide displays exceptional persistence that renders its warming nearly irreversible for more than 1,000 y. Here we show that the warming due to non-CO2 greenhouse gases, although not irreversible, persists notably longer than …
Organic aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. In forests, such particles can occur in solid form — a finding that will lead to a re-evaluation of how they are formed, and their properties and effects.
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are formed in the atmosphere from condensable oxidation products of anthropogenic and biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On a global scale, biogenic VOCs account for about 90% of VOC emissions and of SOA formation (90 billion kilograms of carbon per year). SOA particles can scatter …
