Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

hatrack

(59,587 posts)
Tue Dec 27, 2022, 10:26 AM Dec 2022

Even Regions That Are Warming Slowly Are Doing So Because Of Human Activity, Environmental Damage

EDIT

While western Antarctica is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, the eastern part of the planet’s coldest continent has warmed much more slowly. One reason, scientists believe, is the ozone “hole,” a thinning in the atmospheric layer that acts as a shield for harmful ultraviolet sunlight. Though efforts to curtail use of ozone-depleting chemicals have helped to shrink the hole, it is expected to remain for decades to come.

The theory is that the ozone hole alters circulation of high-level, weather-steering winds in a way that makes it harder for cold polar air to escape, said Robert Rohde, lead scientist for Berkeley Earth. Parts of East Antarctica have even cooled slightly relative to temperatures from 1951 to 1980.

Another factor that explains why Earth’s southern pole is warming so much more slowly than its northern one: Antarctica’s mountainous terrain, said Zeke Hausfather, climate research lead at financial company Stripe and a contributor to Berkeley Earth. The continent’s average elevation of more than 7,000 feet above sea level means more constant snow and ice cover, which means high albedo — an ability to reflect much of the sun’s rays and prevent the continent from absorbing as much solar radiation.

EDIT

Among populous areas, India is one of the slowest-warming in part because of another byproduct of greenhouse gas emissions: air pollution. Aerosols, or suspended fine particles in the air, generally have a cooling effect because they block and scatter sunlight and can stimulate cloud formation, Hausfather said. And pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, released when sulfur-containing fuel such as coal, oil or diesel is burned, can be especially effective at cooling localized areas. Unlike, say, carbon dioxide, it does not spread far from where it is emitted, he said.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2022/global-cool-spots-least-warming/?itid=sf_climate_climate_Climate%20lab_p002_f001

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»Even Regions That Are War...