Atmospheric Aerosols

There are natural aerosols and aerosol pollutants. Combined the total amount, and type, of aerosols affect the amount of atmospheric forcing imposed on the climate system.

Atmospheric aerosol pollution, mixed with natural aerosols in the context of human caused global warming presents some interesting and extremely important challenges for consideration. Industrial aerosol pollution is contributing to negative climate forcing. That means that if the pollution becomes too detrimental to human health and we stop that pollution, we will warm even faster.

Since at this time, we can measure fairly accurately the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere, and the amount of forcing these impose on the system, we can see that aerosols are a two edged sword when considered in context.

In a sense we have made a deal with the devil (The Faustian Bargain), and in this case, we are the devil... so, in fact we have made a very tricky deal with ourselves.

Thu current industrial output of aerosols are helping keep the planet cooler than it otherwise would be based on the amount of positive forcing we have imposed on the system through industrial greenhouse gases.

If we come to a point where we can not afford to continue to pollute with negative aerosols for health or other reasons, then we commit to larger positive forcings that will cause further and faster warming.

In reality, we are already warming very fast and that will impose problems into our economy such as changes and affects:

• Food scarcity
• Climate latitudinal shift
• Droughts
• Floods
• Snow storms
• Hurricanes
  

The problem is already beginning to manifest, but in the near future it is expected to become very noticeable and also increasingly expensive in the human costs and tolls. The global economy is expected to be more and more strained as time passes.

Links

• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Aerosols/
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/SmokeClouds/
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/DustBowl/
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Volcano/
  

RealClimate Aerosols:

• Yet more aerosols: Comment on Shindell and Faluvegi
• Aerosol formation and climate, Part I
  
• Aerosol effects and climate, Part II: the role of nucleation and cosmic rays.
  
• Global Dimming? () ()
• Global Dimming II () ()
• Pollution-Climate Connections () ()
• Global Dimming may have a brighter future () ()
• Climate sensitivity and aerosol forcings
• An Aerosol Tour de Forcing
• Global Dimming and climate models
• Current volcanic activity and climate?
• Aerosols: The Last Frontier? () ()
• Ozone impacts on climate change
• Perspectives from China
• Global dimming and global warming
• Aerosols, Chemistry and Climate