The primary drivers of the Northern Hemisphere expansion of the tropical climate zone over the past several decades are shown to be the recent increases in black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone rather than in greenhouse gases, which contribute to a lesser extent.

Clouds and aerosol particles have bedevilled climate modellers for decades. Now researchers are starting to gain the upper hand.

Controlling smog and soot is the classic win-win situation, so it's great that the world is finally waking up to the idea, says Drew Shindell.

In the present study a monitoring work is under taken to estimate the black carbon aerosol of 4 different cities representing 4 different zones of Odisha state. The monitoring was carried out from December 2008 to November 2009 to study the role of aerosol contamination in different atmospheric condition.

Time series analysis of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived from NOAA-AVHRR data during the period 1996–1999 and the MODIS data during 2000–2009 over the Arabian Sea revealed a systematic biennial variability in the high AOD during summer months. The variability is more prominent over the northern and central parts of the Arabian Sea and became less significant towards southern latitudes. The possible mechanisms for these are examined by estimating the source strength over coastal Arabia and AOD flow rate through the western boundary of the Arabian Sea.

Aims to slow down global temperature rise by 0.5°C. The United States will lead a global campaign to reduce short-lived pollutants that aggravate global warming. In an announcement made on February 16, secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced the formation of a new coalition called Climate and Clean Air Coalition that will target non-Co2 pollutants, including methane, hydrofluorocarbons and black carbon. She made the announcement in the presence of ministers from four member countries of the coalition.

Tropospheric ozone and black carbon (BC) contribute to both degraded air quality and global warming. We considered ~400 emission control measures to reduce these pollutants by using current technology and experience. We identified 14 measures targeting methane and BC emissions that reduce projected global mean warming ~0.5°C by 2050. This strategy avoids 0.7 to 4.7 million annual premature deaths from outdoor air pollution and increases annual crop yields by 30 to 135 million metric tons due to ozone reductions in 2030 and beyond.

Ground-based measurements of aerosol black carbon (BC), from a high altitude location at Nainital in the central Himalayas (during June 2006 to May 2007), were used to study its temporal variability and impact on the atmospheric radiative forcing. Diurnal variation of BC mass concentration shows single enhanced peak in the late afternoon hour. The peak is rather pronounced in winter months due to shallow and stable boundary layer condition, which is largely associated with low surface temperature.