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Study finds GHG methane offsets its warming ~30% and precipitation increase ~60% by short-wave absorption

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A new study by researchers from the University of California, Riverside and colleagues in the US and Europe has now found that methane short-wave absorption counteracts ~30% of the surface warming associated with its long-wave radiative effects. However, greenhouse gases also absorb short-wave radiation incoming from the sun.

Escape 243
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TOAR shows present-day global ozone distribution and trends relevant to health; public database

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These are some of the findings of a new health assessment based on the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR), an effort by the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project to create the world’s most comprehensive database of surface ozone observations from all available ozone monitoring stations around the globe. Click to enlarge.

Ozone 255
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Study finds methane emissions from coal mines ~50% higher than previously thought

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The results have important implications for Earth’s climate because methane is about 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when it comes to warming the planet over a long period. In addition to coal mining, other major sources of methane emissions globally include wetlands, agriculture, and oil and gas facilities.

Coal 321
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PNNL modeling study finds climate benefit for cutting soot, methane smaller than previous estimates

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Cutting the amount of short-lived, climate-warming emissions such as soot and methane won’t limit global warming as much as previous studies have suggested, according to a new study from the Joint Global Change Research Institute in College Park, Md., —Smith and Mizrahi. —Smith and Mizrahi.

Climate 199
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UMD-led study: road salts and other human sources are threatening world’s freshwater supplies

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But a new study led by Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland warns that introducing salt into the environment—whether it's for de-icing roads, fertilizing farmland or other purposes—releases toxic chemical cocktails that create a serious and growing global threat to our freshwater supply and human health.

Supplies 195
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PNNL-led international study finds ultrafine aerosols have outsize impact on storm clouds, precipitation

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Scientists have known that aerosols may play an important role in shaping weather and climate; the new study shows that the smallest of particles have an outsize effect. Deep convective cloud (DCC) systems in the tropics produce copious precipitation and drive the global-scale circulation. —Jiwen Fan.

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New Research Tools for Assessing Impacts of Aerosols on Climate

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Researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Texas, Austin, have created a database that includes visibility measurements taken from 1973 - 2007 at 3,250 meteorological stations all over the world and released by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). University of Maryland Visibility Database.

Climate 150