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Posted: Sunday, 27 July 2008 8:12AM
Smoke from Wildfires May Reduce Global Warming
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SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- A new study finds that wildfires--which some scientists believe may be intensified by global warming--may actually cool the warming in the Arctic.
Atmospheric scientist Robert Stone of the University of Colorado already had monitoring stations in place in Alaska during the smoky summer of 2004. Stone told KCBS reporter Patti Reising that he was able to study the effects of smoke on climate.
"During the daylight hours, the smoke has the ability to cool things at the surface," Stone discovered.
The reason? Smoke blocks some of the solar radiation..
The amount of the reduction says Stone, depends on the time of day, angle of the sun and how much smoke. But he points out--the effect of the smoky skies is temporary.
"It's probably not going to totally counteract the impacts of warming," he says.
Next up, the researcher wants to look at the effect of smoke on the formation of clouds, which Stone says has the potential for bigger changes in climate.
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KCBS' Patti Reising reports
