Dust Could Have Hidden Global Warming Effects

Dust that flies from desert storms and dry landscapes has contributed to the cooling of the planet for the past several decades, reveals a report by The Guardian. Research conducted by UCLA scientists claims that atmospheric dust has increased by around 55 percent since the mid-1800s and this rise could have hidden up to 8 percent of warming from carbon emissions. The research aimed at looking at varied, complex ways in which dust has affected global climate patterns and concluded that the dust has tried to counteract the warming effects of greenhouse gases. Dust along with synthetic particulate pollution can cool the planet in several ways such as reflecting sunlight from Earth and even helping in the dissipation of cirrus clouds responsible for the warming of the planet. However, records from ice cores, marine sediment records and other sources indicate that dust has been increasing since pre-industrialisation times, mostly due to agricultural, development and other human impacts, but the amount of dust has also been decreasing since the 1980s.