Originally published July 25 2005
Earth's surface dimming from atmospheric pollutants
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Age reports that scientists have noticed a darkening of the Earth's surface, ostensibly from atmospheric pollutants, and warn that, if the trend continues, it could speed up global warming.
The Earth is becoming darker because of pollutants in the atmosphere, scientists claimed in a report published yesterday.
The cause of "global dimming" emerged after the September 11 terrorist attacks, when flights in New York were grounded and scientists noticed brighter days and cooler nights, the investigation for BBC Focus magazine says.
It is thought that atmospheric pollution is to blame.
Sunlight is bounced back into space after hitting particles created by car fumes, aerosols and high-flying aircraft.
Clouds are also made more effective by the presence of the particles.
But scientists warn that the decline in sunlight may have kept global warming in check and that as anti-pollutants bite, global climate change will speed up.
This would have a major impact on what we know about the amount of sunlight we receive.
To the bewilderment of scientists around the world, hundreds of instruments recorded a drop of about 10 per cent in sunshine reaching the surface of the Earth from the late 1950s to the early 1990s - about 2 to 3 per cent a decade.
Research on dimming and its implications for weather, water supplies and agriculture is under way around the world.
The adverse impact on agriculture could be substantial, since even a 1 per cent reduction on sunlight is enough to affect the ripening of some crops.
The pollutants that lead to dimming also lead to various human and environment problems, such as smog, respiratory problems and acid rain.
Some climatologists believe that the reflection of heat has made waters in the northern hemisphere cooler.
As a result, less rain forms in key areas and may have played a part in the African famines of the 1970s and 1980s.
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