Scientists discover a natural Arctic cloud factory missing from climate models
Scientists have discovered a natural process in the Arctic where sea ice meets open ocean that significantly increases cloud-forming particles. This mechanism, involving iodine and sulfur compounds, was previously missing from climate models and could impact how the Arctic responds to warming.
Why it matters
Understanding this particle-forming process is crucial for improving the accuracy of climate models and predicting future changes in the Earth's radiation balance.
Scientists have identified a previously unknown natural process in the Arctic that can cause the number of cloud-forming particles in the atmosphere to surge. The discovery could have important implications for cloud cover, how much sunlight is reflected back into space, and how the Arctic responds to future climate change.
The findings, published August 5 in Nature Geoscience , come from an international team led by the University of Birmingham with collaborators in China and Spain. The researchers provide the first real-world evidence that a powerful particle-forming process occurs where Arctic sea ice meets open ocean. In this zone, marine life and sunlight help produce a chemical mixture that can seed the atmosphere with particles capable of influencing clouds.
Cloud-Forming Particles Surge Near Arctic Ice
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