Mitigating Arctic warming

Snow-covered mountains look over the Isfjord in Svalbard, Norway.

In these days overall of global warming and climate change leading to melting icebergs and glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, here comes some cheer in the form of a study That finds That warming in the Arctic region can be reduced by 0.2 degrees C by 2050 by Emissions cutting down of short-lived climate forcers - black carbon, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds, organic carbon and tropospheric ozone The study was published recently in Nature Climate Change.

Short-lived climate forcers are various kinds of particulate matter into the atmosphere Emitted by natural and anthropogenic sources and which stay in the atmosphere for a period of one month at most. Cutting down can bring in Emissions their results quickly. They are unlike carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for years which.

Black carbon and ozone precursors lead to warming, while sulfur-rich and organic carbon-rich sunlight-scattering form aerosols Emissions That Have a cooling effect, or negative radiative forcing. Ozone precursors (CO, NOx and VOCs) through the formation of ozone Affect climate, a potent greenhouse gas and cause warming.

The aftereffect of discharge of anniversary of these agents on Arctic temperature and contribution to warming or cooling is the focus of the study. Six different emission SLCFs across seven regions and six emission sectors were studied and addition one's contribution to chill apparent arctic surface temperature. The emission Sectors Studied Were domestic activities, energy / industry / waste, transport, agricultural fires, forest fires and gas flaring. And the seven emission regions Were U.S., Canada, Russia, Nordic Countries, Asia and south Asia, Rest of Europe and Rest of the world.

The amount of temperature acceleration or abatement caused by a individual unit of each SLCF from each region was determined. This was done using five different chemistry transport models and quantification of contributions that allows within and outside of the Arctic region happen. For instance, high black carbon at lower latitudes can warm the atmosphere Emissions locally, thus creating a beyond temperature acclivity appear towards higher latitudes, resulting Increased northward in heat flux. Inside the Arctic, warming contributions are added absolute - black carbon pollution just above the ground will trap heat and warm the surrounding air immediately.

The study found that the largest absolute contributor (including both warming and cooling Emissions) was the Asian region with domestic activities abounding large amounts of black carbon. However, the highest per unit was warming Emissions from flaring from Russia followed by forest fires and flaring from Nordic Countries. These BC Emissions have a stronger impact than those from Asia due to the doubling effect - They warm the atmosphere while snow and ice reducing also reflectivity.

A small number of nations cooperating within the Arctic region itself could have a large impact on the problem of warming. While efforts can start with a few practical Arctic nations and a few Sectors, They must expand if arctic warming is to be abhorred added fully, notably, to include the large but diffuse emissions from Asia.