http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/atmosphere/ Earth's atmosphere. Learn about threats to air quality, the latest scientific research in atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric physics and more. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/atmosphere/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. ESA's GlobAerosol project has been making the most of European satellite capabilities to monitor them. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm More than 1.2 billion lightning flashes occur around the world every year. Each of those billion lightning flashes produces a puff of nitrogen oxide gas (NOx) that reacts with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Using data gleaned from aircraft observations and satellites, NASA scientists recently took steps toward a better global estimate of lightning-produced NOx and found that lightning may have a considerably stronger impact on the climate in the mid-latitudes and subtropics. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm Is there such a thing as "weather" on Mars? There are some doubts, considering the planet's atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as that of the Earth. Mars, however, definitely has clouds, drastically low temperatures and out-of-this-world dust storms. A professor of atmospheric sciences now hopes to analyze and forecast Martian weather. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121616.htm Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by the Naval Research Laboratory offers a first of its kind technique for remote sensing of the ionosphere and thermosphere from space. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121616.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate. And they've been aided by ever more sophisticated computer models that make estimating the relative impact of each type of pollutant more reliable. Yet the complexity of nature -- and the models used to quantify it -- continues to serve up surprises. The most recent? Certain gases that cause warming are so closely linked with the production of aerosols that the emissions of one type of pollutant can indirectly affect the quantity of the other. And for two key gases that cause warming, these so-called "gas-aerosol interactions" can amplify their impact. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm While carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas and the focus of climate treaties, other pollutants that stay in the atmosphere for only days or months also contribute to global warming. Researchers argue that policymakers should plan a summit now to look at these pollutants, which range from soot to ozone and methane, because they will be more complicated to regulate than is the case with carbon dioxide. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151621.htm Some 500 years ago there was a change in the circulation in the atmosphere over Scandinavia. This probably led to increased amounts of winter precipitation in northern Sweden for a period. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015123604.htm Tree leaves may be powerful tools for monitoring air quality and planning biking routes and walking paths, suggests a new study. Leaves along bus routes were up to 10 times more magnetic than leaves on quieter streets, the study found. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015123604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007171741.htm A new mobile air research laboratory will help a team of researchers better understand the damaging health effects of air pollution and why certain airborne particles -- emitted from industrial plants and vehicles -- induce disease and illness. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007171741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112846.htm "Blue haze," a common occurrence that appears over heavily forested areas around the world, is formed by natural emissions of chemicals, but human activities can worsen it to the point of affecting the world's weather and even cause potential climate problems, according to a new study. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112844.htm A knowledge gap exists in the area of climate research: for decades, scientists have been asking themselves whether, and to what extent man-made aerosols, that is, dust particles suspended in the atmosphere, enlarge the cloud cover and thus curb climate warming. Research has made little or no progress on this issue. Two scientists report that the interaction between aerosols, clouds and precipitation is strongly dependent on factors that have not been adequately researched up to now. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005094919.htm Limit values for fine dust emissions are based on total particle weight. It is the ultra-fine particles, however, that are particularly harmful to health. A new technique separates them by size and identifies their composition -- directly where they arise. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005094919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929132509.htm Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources, says a new report by the National Research Council. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929132509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928195032.htm Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, particularly when the picture is used to illustrate science. Technology is giving us better pictures every day, and one of them is helping a NASA-funded scientist and her team to explain the behavior of a greenhouse gas. Google Earth -- the digital globe on which computer users can fly around the planet and zoom in on key features -- is attracting attention in scientific communities and aiding public communication about carbon dioxide. Recently Google held a contest to present scientific results using KML, a data format used by Google Earth. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928195032.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134831.htm By merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale -- and the findings look promising. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113534.htm Physicists have discovered that changes in the Earth's ozone layer due to climate change will reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation in northern high latitude regions such as Siberia, Scandinavia and northern Canada. Other regions of the Earth, such as the tropics and Antarctica, will instead face increasing levels of UV radiation. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090913134030.htm The link between declining carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere and the formation of the Antarctic ice caps some 34 million years ago has been confirmed for the first time in a major research study. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090913134030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064446.htm Scientists have long known that molecules dance about as the temperature rises, but now researchers know the exact steps that water takes with a certain molecule. Results with small, electrically charged cyanide ions and water molecules reveal that water zips around ions to a greater extent than expected. The findings improve our understanding of a chemical interaction important in environmental and atmospheric sciences. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910091337.htm Atmospheric scientists have discovered a basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere, which was previously unknown. The research could improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft that operate in the upper atmosphere. "It's like finding it got hotter when the sun went down," said one researcher. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910091337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909133020.htm Analysis of a rock type found only in the world's oldest oceans has shed new light on how large animals first got a foothold on Earth. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909133020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133637.htm Scientists worry that rising global temperatures accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions will initiate the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. A new paper elucidates how this underground methane in frozen regions would escape and concludes that methane trapped under the ocean may already be escaping through vents in the sea floor a million times faster than previously believed. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101241.htm A toxic cocktail of ultrafine particles is lurking inside road tunnels in concentration levels so high they have the potential to harm drivers and passengers, a new study has found. Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101241.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141344.htm Nitrous oxide has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century, scientists report in a new study. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141349.htm Subtle connections between the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere, and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research appearing this week in the journal Science. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152721.htm If it has already rained, it's going to continue to pour, according to a study of how ocean-origin storms behave when they come ashore. More than 30 years of monsoon data from India showed that ground moisture where the storms make landfall is a major indicator of what the storm will do from there. If the ground is wet, the storm is likely to sustain, while dry conditions should calm the storm. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073544.htm New research implicates pollution from Asia, Europe and North America as a contributor to recent Australian rainfall changes. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824083606.htm NASA has several satellites that orbit the Earth one behind the other on the same track. They're called the "A-Train" and one of the things they study is tropical cyclones. There are also other satellites outside the A-Train that are used to study different aspects of tropical cyclones. The satellites that form the A-Train provide unique information about tropical cyclones, the collective term for tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824083606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090823184357.htm With a very lucky shot, scientists have captured a one-second image and the electrical fingerprint of huge lightning that flowed 40 miles upward from the top of a storm. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090823184357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130425.htm A newly formed Earth was warmed by a weak young sun, a sun too weak to keep water fluid on Earth. Now a professor in atmospheric chemistry explains how a powerful greenhouse gas helped keep young earth warm enough to be a cradle for life. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720190728.htm Burning of fossil fuels pumps chemicals into the air that react on surfaces such as buildings and roads to create photochemical smog-forming chlorine atoms, scientists report in a new study. The newfound chemistry should be added to atmospheric models, researchers say. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720190728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141716.htm The Southern Ocean plays an important role in mitigating climate change because it acts as a sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Most current models predict that the strength of the Southern Ocean carbon dioxide sink should increase as atmospheric carbon dioxide rises, but observations show that this has not been the case. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806080142.htm Geoengineering techniques aim to slow global warming through the use of human-made changes to the Earth's land, seas or atmosphere. But new research shows that the use of geoengineering to do environmental good may cause other environmental harm. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806080142.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141518.htm A previously unrecognized player in the process by which gases produced by trees and other plants become aerosols -- microscopically small particles in the atmosphere -- has been discovered by researchers. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141518.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123047.htm As the climate warms in the coming decades, atmospheric scientists expect that the frequency of wildfires will increase in many regions. The spike in the number of fires could also adversely affect air quality due to the greater presence of smoke. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723141812.htm As the earth warms, it is not known whether clouds will dissipate and let more heat in, or whether cloud cover will increase. In a study in Science, researchers begin to unravel this mystery. Using observational data and models, they have established that low-level clouds appear to dissipate as the ocean warms, indicating that changes in these clouds may increase the warming of the planet. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723141812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723081756.htm Researchers present evidence that the auroras in the Northern and the Southern hemispheres can be totally asymmetric. These findings contradict the commonly made assumption of aurora being mirror images of each other. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723081756.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721090127.htm Could cosmic rays be influencing climate by charging up more frequent lightning storms? Several factors influence global climate change. Long-term influences that work over hundreds of thousands of years have an astronomical origin, namely the eccentricity, axial tilt and precession of the Earth's orbit. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721090127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm The eerie beauty of the northern and southern lights has evoked visions of the supernatural for centuries: foxes of fire whisking their tales, the fighting souls of dead warriors or ancestors dancing around a ceremonial fire. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124958.htm Scientists have discovered an unexpected concentration of a certain isotopic molecule in parts of the stratosphere that could have implications for understanding the carbon cycle and its response to climate change. Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716113358.htm Establishing a key link between the solar cycle and global climate, new research shows that maximum solar activity and its aftermath have impacts on Earth that resemble La Niña and El Niño events in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716113358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715160446.htm Hot town, summer in the city. When it comes to air-quality advisories, city residents are no strangers, especially during the dog days of summer. But smog is made up of an array of air pollutants, including the mad hatter's muse, mercury. Researchers have found that summer is the peak season for this atmospheric toxin, and that higher levels of mercury species exist in the urban atmosphere as compared to rural regions. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715160446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131553.htm Scientists have developed a new computer model that they hope will predict with unprecedented accuracy how many hurricanes will occur in a given season. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124956.htm No one knows exactly how much Earth's climate will warm due to carbon emissions, but a new study suggests scientists' best predictions about global warming might be incorrect. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709120657.htm Through a recent modeling experiment, researchers have found that future concentrations of carbon dioxide and ozone in the atmosphere and of nitrogen in the soil are likely to have an important but overlooked effect on the cycling of water from sky to land to waterways. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709120657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619125905.htm Particles cool down the climate, but to which extent? This has remained an unanswered question for scientists. A new study brings the scientific community a step closer to solving the mystery. Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619125905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165559.htm From his office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., Brent Holben helps manage the world's largest network of ground-based sensors for aerosols -- tiny specks of solids and liquids that waft about in the atmosphere. These particles come from both human and natural sources, and can be observed everywhere in the world. Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200808.htm Particulate pollution thought to be holding climate change in check by reflecting sunlight instead enhances warming when combined with airborne soot. An instrument that measures the chemical composition and optical properties of aerosols in real time has revealed that fresh soot quickly becomes coated with a spherical shell of other chemicals, such as sulfate and nitrate through light-driven chemical reactions. This lens-like shell enhances absorption of light by a factor of 1.6 over pure soot particles. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093736.htm The first complete map of global ammonia emissions has recently been achieved using to satellite data. It reveals an underestimation of some of the ammonia concentrations detected by current inventories, and identifies new hotspots. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093736.htm