PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies

2013-11-07
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Sarah Reed
s.j.reed@leeds.ac.uk
44-113-343-4196
University of Leeds
Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies Natural aerosols, such as emissions from volcanoes or plants, may contribute more uncertainty than previously thought to estimates of how the climate might respond to greenhouse gas emissions.

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Leeds, has shown that the effect of aerosols on the climate since industrialisation depends strongly on what the atmosphere was like before pollution – when aerosols were produced only from natural emissions. The research will be published in the journal Nature on 7 November.

Professor Ken Carslaw, from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds and lead author of the study, said: "We have shown that our poor knowledge of aerosols prior to the industrial revolution dominates the uncertainty in how aerosols have affected clouds and climate.

"In order to better understand climate change, we need to turn our attention towards understanding very clean regions of the atmosphere – as might have existed in the mid-1700s. Such regions are incredibly rare now, but we are looking for them."

Aerosols tend to increase the brightness of clouds, which would increase the reflection of solar radiation to space, thereby partially masking the climate-warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Firmly establishing the effect of aerosol-induced changes on cloud brightness is an important challenge for climate scientists.

In an assessment of 28 factors that could affect the uncertainties in cloud brightness, the researchers found that 45% of the variance comes from natural aerosols, compared with 34% for human-generated aerosols. (Aerosol processes, such as how quickly they are removed from the atmosphere, account for the remaining uncertainty.)

"Our results provide a clear path for scientists to reduce the uncertainty in aerosol effects on climate because we have been able to rank the causes for the uncertainty," concludes Professor Carslaw.

### The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the EC Seventh Framework Programme and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.

Further information

The study, 'Large contribution of natural aerosols to uncertainty in indirect forcing', will be published in the journal Nature on 7 November 2013.

Professor Ken Carslaw is available for interview. Please contact Sarah Reed, Press Officer, University of Leeds on 0113 34 34196 or email s.j.reed@leeds.ac.uk

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities.

The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's eighth biggest research powerhouse and the University's vision is to secure a place among the world's leading universities by 2015. http://www.leeds.ac.uk


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Drilling for hydrocarbons can impact aquatic life

2013-11-07
Drilling for hydrocarbons can impact aquatic life Drilling sumps can leak into surface water The degradation of drilling sumps associated with hydrocarbon extraction can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems, according to new research published November 6th in the open-access ...

The presence of human settlements has a negative impact on tiger connectivity

2013-11-07
The presence of human settlements has a negative impact on tiger connectivity Tigers are dispersing over much greater distances than previously found Human settlements and roads place greater barriers on tiger dispersal than distance, according to new research published ...

Lower education levels linked to unhealthy diets

2013-11-07
Lower education levels linked to unhealthy diets Higher physical activity in less-educated people is related to unhealthy diets People with lower levels of education may eat larger amounts of unhealthy, calorically dense food than those with a higher education level, ...

Earliest record of copulating insects discovered

2013-11-07
Earliest record of copulating insects discovered Fossil of copulating insects discovered from Middle Jurassic period Scientists have found the oldest fossil depicting copulating insects in northeastern China, published November 6th in the open-access journal PLOS ONE ...

Speaking a second language may delay dementia, study shows

2013-11-07
Speaking a second language may delay dementia, study shows People who speak more than 1 language and who develop dementia tend to do so up to 5 years later than those who are monolingual, according to a study People who speak more than one language and ...

Volcanic rock probe helps unlock mysteries of how Earth formed

2013-11-07
Volcanic rock probe helps unlock mysteries of how Earth formed New insights gleaned from volcanic rock are helping scientists better understand how our planet evolved billions of years ago. Studies of basalt, the material that forms from cooling lava, ...

Infected butterflies lead geneticists up the garden path

2013-11-07
Infected butterflies lead geneticists up the garden path UFZ researchers illustrate the weaknesses of DNA barcoding Halle/Saale. For animal species that cannot be distinguished using their external characteristics, genetic techniques such as ...

Earliest marker for autism found in young infants

2013-11-07
Earliest marker for autism found in young infants NIH-funded study finds attention to others' eyes declines in 2 to 6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism Eye contact during early infancy may be a key to early identification of autism, according ...

NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W stretching out, fading

2013-11-07
NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W stretching out, fading Tropical Storm 30W weakened into a tropical depression again on Nov. 6 and wind shear stretched out the storm. The storm's elongation was evident in infrared NASA satellite imagery. NASA's Aqua satellite ...

Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism and development of diabetes

2013-11-07
Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism and development of diabetes Normal blood sugar regulation is a partnership between the pancreas and the brain A growing body of evidence suggests that the brain plays a key role in glucose regulation and the development ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

Screen time linked to lower academic achievement among Ontario elementary students

One-year outcomes after traumatic brain injury and early extracranial surgery in the TRACK-TBI Study

Enduring outcomes of COVID-19 work absences on the US labor market

Affirmative action repeal and racial and ethnic diversity in us medical school admissions

Cancer progression illuminated by new multi-omics tool

Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school

GLP-1RA order fills and out-of-pocket costs by race, ethnicity, and indication

Study finds HEPA purifiers alone may not be enough to reduce viral exposure in schools

UVA Health developing way to ID people at risk of dangerous lung scarring even before symptoms appear

How can we know when curing cancer causes myocarditis?

Male infertility in Indian men linked to lifestyle choices and hormonal imbalances

[Press-News.org] Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies