Experts at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have recorded the unexpected effect of the pandemic on the Earth's climate. Reduced emissions of pollutants have led to a slight warming. This is reported in an article published in Geophysical Research Letters. The discovery is summarized in a press release on Phys.org.
Researchers attribute the short-term warming of the atmosphere to the fact that aerosols released into the atmosphere block sunlight, but lockdowns around the world have led to a decrease in the concentration of suspended particles in the air. As a result, more solar heat reached the planet's surface, especially in countries such as the United States and Russia.
Temperatures over parts of the Earth's surface last spring averaged 0.1-0.3 degrees Celsius higher than would be expected from prevailing weather conditions. This increase was most noticeable in areas characterized by a high level of aerosol emissions (by 0.37 degrees).
While aerosols tend to brighten clouds and reflect heat from the Sun back into space, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have the opposite effect, trapping heat near the planet's surface and raising global temperatures. Small reductions in carbon dioxide emissions are expected to have a longer-term effect on global warming.
