Specifically, in heavily polluted regions, the additional warming of the Earth resulting from better air quality could occur much later than originally believed—perhaps as much as 20 or 30 years later than expected. The Leipzig study was recently published in the journalConcentrations of aerosols have fallen significantly since 2000. This is good news because aerosols are harmful to humans and the environment.
Until now, researchers assumed that the warming effect of fewer aerosols in the air would be felt immediately. The new study from Leipzig University shows that it is not that simple."With our new non-linear method for calculating aerosol-cloud interactions, we were able to show that in highly polluted regions, the additional warming due to improvements in air quality occurs two to three decades later than previously assumed," says first author Dr.
The study shows that more accurate modeling of these processes is needed. This will open up new ways to better understand the influence of air quality on climate."The results of our study are also important for