A new study reveals that tiny particles can shield pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from degradation, allowing them to travel farther and increasing lung cancer risk. The findings quadruple the estimated global lung cancer risk from a pollutant caused by combustion, exceeding World Health Organization limits.
A new study from University of Utah researchers finds a correlation between drought and high-elevation aerosols in the western US, suggesting that wildfires are driving the increase in summer haze. Aerosol particles can trigger cloud formation, exerting their own influence on global temperature and climate.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University discovered that semi-volatile organic compounds can easily diffuse between atmospheric particles, altering their behavior. The findings provide greater understanding of how these particles change in the atmosphere, crucial for understanding their impact on environment and human health.
Berkeley Lab researchers discover organic molecules depress surface tension, enabling larger cloud droplets to form. This finding could improve the accuracy of climate change models predicting cooling effects of reflective clouds.
Researchers found evidence of carbonaceous aerosols transported from Asia, deposited in the Arctic over 450 years. They also discovered increased dust levels during warmer periods with strong Arctic Oscillation.
Ocean organisms produce aerosols that nearly double cloud droplet numbers in summer, boosting sunlight reflection. The study estimates the equivalent solar energy impact over the whole Southern Ocean.
A global scale study estimates the impact of forest-emitted compounds on cloud seeds and aerosol particles. The findings suggest that these compounds can increase condensing vapours, leading to cloud formation and influencing climate.
A Drexel University researcher studied indoor aerosol spikes caused by cleaning products and air fresheners, revealing the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) due to limonene reactions. The study suggests a significant impact on indoor air quality, warranting further public health research.
A study by UC Davis researchers found that laboratory chamber walls can suppress the formation of secondary organic aerosol in the atmosphere. This effect has contributed to underpredictions of SOA concentrations in regional air quality models, which impacts air quality and climate.
Scientists have found that plant emissions can oxidize to form organic aerosols, which can affect cloud formation and sunlight scattering. The discovery bridges a major gap in knowledge on atmospheric chemistry and has implications for predicting future climate development.
Scientists have detected extremely low-volatility organic compounds for the first time, contributing to aerosol formation that affects climate and air quality. The discovery may explain discrepancies between observations and theories about volatile organic compound conversion into atmospheric aerosol.
Researchers have found that funeral pyres in South Asia emit significant amounts of sunlight-absorbing organic carbon aerosols, known as brown carbon. This finding highlights the importance of quantifying and characterizing regional combustion activities to enhance climate models.
Researchers in the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) investigate how chemical reactions between human-related pollution and plant-emitted VOCs affect air quality in the U.S. Southeast. The project aims to uncover the controlling processes of biosphere-atmosphere interactions, which can impact regional climate and air chemistry.
Researchers at Columbia University and Georgia Institute of Technology found that certain volatile organic gases can enhance aerosol activity, promoting cloud droplet formation. This discovery will improve climate modeling by incorporating gas-phase surfactants into cloud formation models.
Researchers discovered that OH radicals significantly influence organic aerosols' mass and composition, leading to changes in concentration and characteristics. This finding necessitates updates to regional and global climate models.
Researchers found that aerosol particles in the Amazon rainforest, including those containing organic compounds and terpenes, often have high levels of potassium salts. These salts play a crucial role in cloud formation by providing seeds for liquid droplets to condense on.
Organic aerosol is a significant fraction of fine particles in Beijing, with key role in air pollution. Recent study characterizes winter organic aerosols using high-resolution measurements, revealing prominent accumulation mode and photochemical characteristics.
Researchers from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School discovered two distinct plumes of oily aerosols traveling from sea surface to atmosphere after the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill. The study provides new understanding of air pollutants' effects on environment, human health, and global climate change.
Researchers discovered a new mechanism by which air pollution particles form, with heavier compounds contributing most to particle formation. This discovery has significant implications for understanding and predicting urban air quality.
Researchers have re-examined the assumption that organic molecules in the air evaporate quickly, discovering that they actually evaporate much slower than expected. This finding could significantly impact climate and air quality models, suggesting that there may be no missing source of atmospheric organics.
Research team isolates aerosol particles in near-pristine pre-industrial conditions, shedding light on cloud formation and precipitation. Organic compounds from plants are found to be a primary source of submicron particles, which can affect climate.
The formation of aerosols in the atmosphere is a major source of uncertainty in climate predictions. Researchers are working to understand how aerosols form, particularly at the molecular level. The interaction between organic acids and sulfuric acid can facilitate aerosol formation by creating a critical nucleus.
Researchers will collect data on aerosol particles in the Sacramento Valley from June 2-28, using airplanes, ground instruments, and weather balloons. The goal is to improve computer models simulating climate change by understanding aerosols' role in scattering and absorbing sunlight.
A breakthrough discovery by Colette Heald simplifies our understanding of atmospheric organic aerosols, a key factor in climate change. By identifying common characteristics among these tiny particles, scientists can now accurately represent their composition in climate models.
Researchers verified reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions from Chinese power plants using satellite monitoring. The study also predicts the evolution of central Pacific El Niño events, finding links to thermocline depth and its impact on weather patterns.
Researchers discovered that sweltering summers in the southeastern US can lead to a cooling haze due to the mixing of manmade pollutants with natural compounds from forests and vegetation. This effect was found to be significant enough to outpace carbon dioxide emissions' warming effects by 2-to-1.
Researchers study aerosol particles, including soot, using advanced instruments to better understand their lifecycle and effects on climate. This knowledge is crucial for addressing climate change and related public health concerns.
Researchers investigate anorthosites as a forgotten source of planetary magnetic anomalies, finding strong signatures of the Earth's magnetic field direction in ancient rocks. Another study proposes that gas hydrates in shallow marine sediments are the dominant source of methane in ice core records. A third study explores the feasibili...
A new study by researchers at CU-Boulder finds that reactive gases, not direct emissions of particulates, form the bulk of organic haze. The study reveals that aerosols formed chemically in the air account for about two-thirds of total organic haze in urban areas and over 90% in rural areas.
Researchers found that isoprene emitted by forest vegetation forms hygroscopic compounds affecting cloud formation, rainfall, and climate. The discovery demonstrates a link between isoprene emissions and water-soluble fine particles.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered an acid-catalyzed process that brings about secondary organic aerosol formation, potentially generating five to 10 times more aerosol in the atmosphere. The study's findings appear to explain various phenomena leading to aerosol formation and have important ...