Black carbon is the second largest man-made
contributor to global warming and its influence on climate has been greatly
underestimated, according to the first quantitative and comprehensive analysis
of this pollutant’s climate impact. The dark particles absorb incoming and
scattered heat from the sun (called solar radiation), they can promote the
formation of clouds that can have either cooling or warming impact, and they
can fall on the surface of snow and ice, promoting warming and increasing
melting. In addition, many sources of black carbon also emit other particles
that provide a cooling effect, counteracting black carbon. The results indicate
that there may be a greater potential to curb warming by reducing black carbon
emissions.
Schematic overview of the primary black
carbon emission sources and the processes that control the distribution
of black carbon in the atmosphere and determine its role in the climate
system [Bond et al., 2013].
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