Factories like this are a major source of air pollution. Click on image for full size (51 Kb) Copyright UCAR

Air pollution affects Earth’s climate. However, not all types of pollutants have the same effect. There are many different types of air pollution. Some types cause our planet to warm at a faster rate. Others cause the rate of global warming to slow down by causing temporary cooling. Read on the learn more about pollutants that cause warming and those that cause cooling.

Some air pollutants cause more global warming

Air pollution includes gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These are greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases don’t make up a large percentage of Earth’s atmosphere, but even in small quantities they have a profound effect on global climate. Greenhouses gases are mostly responsible for the increase in global surface air temperature of about 0.6º Celsius (1º Fahrenheit) over the past century and scientists project that much more warming will likely happen during the next century.
Greenhouse gases cause global warming by trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a natural part of Earth’s atmosphere, but in the last 150 years or so, the amount of greenhouses gases in our atmosphere has increased significantly because of an increase in the amount of car exhaust and pollutants released from smokestacks at factories and power plants.

Some air pollutants slow down global warming

Cars, trucks, and smokestacks also release tiny particles into the atmosphere. Tiny particles, called aerosols, range in size from 10 nanometers to more than 100 micrometers in diameter. They can be composed of various substances such as mineral dust, sulfates, sea salt, or carbon. They can occur naturally in the atmosphere, for instance released by erupting volcanoes or from wildfire smoke, but air pollution released by burning of fossil fuels also contributes the tiny particles to the atmosphere. Aerosols have an impact on climate. While different types of aerosols act differently in the atmosphere, the overall effect of aerosols is cooling.

Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for years and cause warming. Computer models indicate that, worldwide, sulfates and other particles cause about half as much cooling as greenhouse gases cause warming.

Factories like this are a major source of air pollution. Click on image for full size (51 Kb) Copyright UCAR

Air pollution changes our planet’s climate, but not all types of air pollution have the same effect. There are many different types of air pollution. Some types cause global warming to speed up. Others cause global warming to slow down by creating a temporary cooling effect for a few days or weeks. Read on the learn more about the pollution that causes Earth to warm and the pollution that causes Earth to cool.

Some air pollutants cause more global warming

Air pollution includes greenhouse gases. One of these is carbon dioxide, a common part of the exhaust from cars and trucks. Greenhouse gases cause global warming by trapping heat from the Sun in the Earth’s atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a natural part of Earth’s atmosphere, but in the last 150 years or so, the amount in our atmosphere has increased. The increase comes from car exhaust and pollutants released from smokestacks at factories and power plants. The increase in greenhouses gases is the cause of most of the global warming that happened over the past century. Scientists predict that much more warming will likely happen during the next century.

Some air pollutants slow down global warming

Cars, trucks, and smokestacks also release tiny particles into the atmosphere. These tiny particles are called aerosols. They can be made of different things such as mineral dust, sulfates, sea salt, or carbon. Some of these particles get into the atmosphere naturally. They are dust lifted into the atmosphere from deserts, from evaporating droplets from the ocean, released by the smoke from wildfires, and erupting volcanoes. But air pollution released by humans by burning of fossil fuels also adds them to the atmosphere. Aerosols have an impact on climate. While different types of aerosols act differently in the atmosphere, the overall effect of aerosols is cooling.

Greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for years and cause warming around the world. Computer models indicate that, worldwide, the tiny aerosols cause about half as much cooling as greenhouse gases cause warming.

Factories like this are a major source of air pollution. Click on image for full size (51 Kb) Copyright UCAR

There are many different types of air pollution. Some types of air pollution make the Earth get warmer. Other types of air pollution make the Earth get cooler. Read on to learn more about how different types of air pollution change Earth’s temperature.

Air pollutants that make Earth warmer

Air pollution includes greenhouse gases. One of these is carbon dioxide, a common part of the exhaust from cars and trucks. Greenhouse gases cause the Earth to warm by trapping heat from the Sun in the atmosphere. Some greenhouse gases are a natural part of the air. Some were added to the air by people’s cars and trucks that release greenhouse gases as fuel is burned. Some were added to the air from smokestacks at factories and power plants. More greenhouses gases in the air means more global warming. In fact, since cars were invented and factories and power plants were built more than a century ago, the Earth’s temperature has increased. Scientists say that the Earth will get even warmer during the next 100 years.

Air pollutants that slow down global warming

Cars, trucks, and smokestacks also let tiny particles loose into the atmosphere. These tiny particles are called aerosols and can be made of different things. Some of these particles get into the atmosphere naturally. They are released from the ocean, deserts, forests, volcanoes, and are a part of the smoke from wildfires. But air pollution released by cars and smokestacks also adds them to the atmosphere. Aerosols have an impact on climate. While different types of aerosols act differently in the atmosphere, the overall effect of aerosols is cooling.