scholarly journals Climate Change and Aerosol Sciences

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Kehan Li

Climate change is of great importance in modern times and global warming is considered as a significant part of climate change. It is proved that human’s emissions such as greenhouse gases are one of the main sources of global warming (IPCC, 2018). Apart from greenhouse gases, there is another kind of matter being released in quantity via emissions from industries and transportations and playing an important role in global warming, which is aerosol. However, atmospheric aerosols have the net effect of cooling towards global warming. In this paper, climate change with respect to global warming is briefly introduced and the role of aerosols in the atmosphere is emphasized. Besides, properties of aerosols including dynamics and thermodynamics of aerosols as well as interactions with solar radiation are concluded. In the end, environmental policies and solutions are discussed. Keywords: Climate change, Global warming, Atmospheric aerosols, Particulate matter, Radiation, Environmental policy.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Kehan Li

Climate change is of great importance in modern times and global warming is considered as a significant part of climate change. It is proved that human’s emissions such as greenhouse gases are one of the main sources of global warming (IPCC, 2018). Apart from greenhouse gases, there is another kind of matter being released in quantity via emissions from industries and transportations and playing an important role in global warming, which is aerosol. However, atmospheric aerosols have the net effect of cooling towards global warming. In this paper, climate change with respect to global warming is briefly introduced and the role of aerosols in the atmosphere is emphasized. Besides, properties of aerosols including dynamics and thermodynamics of aerosols as well as interactions with solar radiation are concluded. In the end, environmental policies and solutions are discussed. Keywords: Climate change, Global warming, Atmospheric aerosols, Particulate matter, Radiation, Environmental policy.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul C. Rivera

Statistical analysis of the number of destructive earthquakes versus global temperature and greenhouse gases revealed very significant correlations. This is a strong indication that the frequent occurrence of major earthquakes had increased earth’s obliquity and induced both global warming and emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in recent years. It is further shown by a simple model developed here that seismic-induced oceanic pressure could enhance the obliquity leading to increased solar radiative flux on earth. The possible increase in the planetary obliquity was substantiated by the solar radiation model SOLRAD, which simulated an associated increase of absorbed solar radiation. The model also revealed a net poleward gain of solar radiative flux with enhanced obliquity which could be the cause of the observed polar amplification of global warming and climate change. Multiple regression analysis also showed that the sudden obliquity change since 1995 played a major role in the temperature rise and GHG increase, and coincided with the 10 warmest years on record. Climate simulations conducted with the EdGCM also showed that enhanced obliquity causes increased solar radiative flux, increased air and ocean temperature, and decline of ocean ice cover. The enhanced obliquity and absorbed solar radiation could have accelerated the melting of ice sheets and glaciers, exposure and degradation of permafrost regions, increased CO2 respiration fluxes from soil, and forest fires during summer. This study confirmed in several ways that earthquake-pressured obliquity change, and not greenhouse effect, is the major mechanism governing global warming and climate change presently occurring on earth.


1995 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell D. Thompson

Climate change has received considerable media attention in recent years, particularly in terms of the enhanced greenhouse effect and predicted global warming. This paper examines the alternative impact of atmospheric acrosols on global climate in terms of the so-called dust-veil effect, which is associated with global cooling. This volcanic signal is assessed through the application of dust-rating and explosivity indices, and their limitations are emphasized since both schemes ignore the more important sulphur-gas emissions. The paper discusses the causes and evidence of the volcanic signal and emphasizes its moderation by El Nino events. It concludes with a brief analysis of the contributions made by particulate matter released into the lower troposphere from human activities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepika Pandey

The flow of water in rivers is of paramount importance to maintain supply of food and energy requirements to a great extent. The minimum flow in perennial rivers is subjected to groundwater availability, it is further replenished by the water added through precipitation. Climate change not only increases the melting of glaciers and sea level rise, but also influences the surface water flow and quality. As agriculture is directly affected by changing precipitation pattern, the reduction in water resources and untimely addition of water, both act havoc to the food production process. This interconnection makes agriculture even more vulnerable to the scenarios of global warming and climate change. Studies on food-energy-water nexus has opened new avenues of research in sustainable water management. The role of sustainable flow of water in rivers is highlighted which needs to be understood in era of climate change.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Eelco J. Rohling

This chapter outlines the challenge facing us. The Paris Agreement sets a target maximum of 2°C global warming and a preferred limit of 1.5°C. Yet, the subsequent combined national pledges for emission reduction suffice only for limiting warming to roughly 3°C. And because most nations are falling considerably short of meeting their pledges, even greater warming may become locked in. Something more drastic and wide-ranging is needed: a multi-pronged strategy. These different prongs to the climate-change solution are introduced in this chapter and explored one by one in the following chapters. First is rapid, massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Second is implementation of ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Third may be increasing the reflectivity of Earth to incoming sunlight, to cool certain places down more rapidly. In addition, we need to protect ourselves from climate-change impacts that have already become inevitable.


Author(s):  
Mark Maslin

‘Evidence for climate change’ considers both past and recent climate change through changes in temperature, precipitation, and relative global sea level to show that significant changes in climate have been recorded. These include a 0.85°Celsius (C) increase in average global temperatures over the last 150 years, sea-level rise of over 20 cm, significant shifts in the seasonality and intensities of precipitation, changing weather patterns, and significant retreat of Arctic sea ice and nearly all continental glaciers. The IPCC 2013 report states that the evidence for global warming is unequivocal and that there is very high confidence that this warming is due to human emissions of greenhouse gases.


Climate Law ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 279-319
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Richardson

Climate change has multifaceted aesthetic dimensions of legal significance. Global warming alters the aesthetic properties of nature, and further aesthetic changes are precipitated by climate mitigation and adaptation responses of impacted societies. The social and political struggles to influence climate change law are also influenced by aesthetics, as environmental activists and artists collaborate to influence public opinion, while conversely the business sector through its marketing and other aesthetic communications tries to persuade consumers of its climate-friendly practices to forestall serious action on global warming. This article distils and analyses these patterns in forging a novel account of the role of aesthetics in climate change law and policy, and it makes conclusions on how this field of law should consider aesthetic values through ‘curatorial’ guidance.


Author(s):  
C.J. Newbold ◽  
A.R. Moss ◽  
G.S. Mollinson

Increasing concern over the role of greenhouse gases in global warming has lead to a renewed interest in the production of methane by ruminants. Sheep are routinely used to study digestibility, however their use as a model to study methane production by cattle has received only limited attention (Blaxter and Wainman, 1964). The objective of the current study was to establish whether differences in methane production exist between sheep and cattle and to measure the magnitude of these differences under various dietary situations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucheng Cao ◽  
Ewelina Staszewska

Abstract Uncontrolled emissions of landfill gas may contribute significantly to climate change, since its composition represents a high fraction of methane, a greenhouse gas with 100- year global warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide. Landfill cover could create favourable conditions for methanotrophy (microbial methane oxidation), an activity of using bacteria to oxidize methane to carbon dioxide. This paper presents a brief review of methanotrophic activities in landfill cover. Emphasis is given to the effects of cover materials, environmental conditions and landfill vegetation on the methane oxidation potential, and to their underlying effect mechanisms. Methanotrophs communities and methane oxidation kinetics are also discussed. Results from the overview suggest that well-engineered landfill cover can substantially increase its potential for reducing emissions of methane produced in landfill to the atmosphere.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6083-6089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Xu ◽  
D. Zaelke ◽  
G. J. M. Velders ◽  
V. Ramanathan

Abstract. There is growing international interest in mitigating climate change during the early part of this century by reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), in addition to reducing emissions of CO2. The SLCPs include methane (CH4), black carbon aerosols (BC), tropospheric ozone (O3) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Recent studies have estimated that by mitigating emissions of CH4, BC, and O3 using available technologies, about 0.5 to 0.6 °C warming can be avoided by mid-21st century. Here we show that avoiding production and use of high-GWP (global warming potential) HFCs by using technologically feasible low-GWP substitutes to meet the increasing global demand can avoid as much as another 0.5 °C warming by the end of the century. This combined mitigation of SLCPs would cut the cumulative warming since 2005 by 50% at 2050 and by 60% at 2100 from the CO2-only mitigation scenarios, significantly reducing the rate of warming and lowering the probability of exceeding the 2 °C warming threshold during this century.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document