This document details the Black Carbon Research Initiative launched by India as part of the National Carbonaceous Aerosols Programme (NCAP). This joint initiative of several government ministries & leading research institutions builds on the existing work and sets out the science programme to respond to the scientific questions surrounding Black carbon.
Charged particles from beyond solar system possibly affect the pace, but the extent is not clear. The role of the cosmic rays has been highlightedin a paper by the former ISRO Chairman, U.R. Rao
Dr. Rao points to a nine per cent reduction in the intensity of cosmic rays during the past 150 years
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The impact of cosmic rays on global warming needs to be assessed.
Scientists claim to have achieved a breakthrough by generating a series of downpours in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates using a new tech nology which is designed to control the weather.
A team, employed by the ruler of Abu Dhabi and Pres ident of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed A Nahyan, has created some 50 rainstorms in 2010 in the emirate's eastern Al Ain region -most of the storms
The Ozone Secretariat has released the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2010, which presents new and stronger evidence of the effect of stratospheric ozone changes on the Earth’s surface climate, and of the effects of climate change on stratospheric ozone.
Fortunately for us, carbon monoxide (CO)—a toxic gas—is a very minor constituent of the atmosphere. It is produced by incomplete burning of fossil fuels and biomass (such as dry leaves and wood) and by the oxidation of methane and other volatile hydrocarbons in the atmosphere.
We present a 650-year Antarctic ice core record of concentration and isotopic ratios (δ13C and δ18O) of atmospheric carbon monoxide. Concentrations decreased by ~25% (14 parts per billion by volume) from the mid-1300s to the 1600s then recovered completely by the late 1800s.
Nitric oxide reductase (NOR) is an iron-containing enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to generate a major greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O). Here, we report the crystal structure of NOR from Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 2.7 angstrom resolution. The structure reveals details of the catalytic binuclear center.
Scientists studying tree rings to reconstruct the past have found that major volcanic eruptions can boost rains in Southeast Asia, challenging a common perception of volcanoes as purely destructive forces.
Studies in the past have shown massive eruptions such as the 1815 Tambora blast, and Krakatau in 1883, both in Indonesia, dimmed temperatures globally and wiped out crops.
