A researcher from The University of Texas at Austin has received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study how changing aerosol pollution could influence climate change in the United States in the coming decades.
A researcher from The University of Texas at Austin has received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study how changing aerosol pollution could influence climate change in the United States in the coming decades.
Aerosols are tiny solid particles and liquid droplets that contribute to smog and are emitted from industrial factories, power plants and vehicle tailpipes, as well as natural sources like volcanic eruptions. These small particles can influence the Earth’s climate by reflecting or absorbing sunlight and changing the behavior of clouds.
Geeta Persad, an assistant professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences, is lead researcher. Persad and her team will use one of NOAA’s leading climate prediction models, SPEAR, to project how future climate hazards across the U.S. — such as floods, fires and drought — could be impacted by different aerosol emission scenarios over the coming decade.
Read more at: University of Texas Austin
A smoggy day in Los Angeles. Smog consists of aersols that can have wide-ranging impacts on climate change effects. (Photo Credit: Chang’r via Flickr)
