Aerosols Absorb; Aerosols Reflect
Some aerosol particles primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the atmosphere, and others can also absorb radiation and warm the surrounding air. When aerosols heat the atmosphere, they create an unstable environment where clouds can't thrive. The suppression of clouds leads to further warming of the atmosphere by solar radiation. Aerosols are a complex but critical piece of the climate puzzle, and researchers are still working to understand the role of these curious particles.
Forest fires (biomass burning) emit black soot carbon aerosol clouds. Sun rays are absorbed by these dark clouds. Some sun rays are reflected and some still travel through the cloud to the ground.
Non-absorbing aerosols scatter sunlight in various directions upwards (reflect the sunlight back into the sky).
Artist depiction of aerosols from a forest fire absorbing radiation.
Artist depiction of human induced aerosols from a city reflecting solar radiation.
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Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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Animator
- Megan Willy (IRC/UMBC)
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Producer
- Maria Frostic (UMBC)
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Scientist
- Michael Mishchenko (NASA/GSFC GISS)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, February 19, 2009.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:54 PM EDT.