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Plastic aerosols in the atmosphere could affect the climate

Physics World

Tiny particles of plastic in the atmosphere can affect Earth’s climate, according to Laura Revell at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and colleagues. Yet even as airborne microplastics become an ever-larger part of the mix of atmospheric aerosols, their radiative influence is still virtually unknown. Altitude matters.

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A CERES of fortunate events…

Real Climate

The CERES estimates of the top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes are available from 2001 to the present. 2021) also reported on a two decade estimate of Earthshine measurements which appear to confirm a small decrease in albedo (and decrease in reflected short wave (SW) radiation). A paper last year (Goode et al., Similarly, Loeb et al.

Radiation 308
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The CO2 problem in six easy steps (2022 Update)

Real Climate

The fact that there is a natural greenhouse effect (that the atmosphere restricts the passage of infra-red (IR) radiation from the Earth’s surface to space) is easily deducible from; i) the mean temperature of the surface (around 15ºC) and, ii) knowing that the planet is normally close to radiative equilibrium.

Radiation 315
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Astronomers define new class of potentially habitable ocean worlds

Physics World

Hot, ocean-covered exoplanets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres could harbour life and may be more common than planets that are Earth-like in size, temperature and atmospheric composition. However, it has so far proven difficult to detect atmospheric signatures from Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars.

Ocean 138
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New misguided interpretations of the greenhouse effect from William Kininmonth

Real Climate

He made some rather strange claims, such as that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) allegedly should have forgotten that the earth is a sphere because “ most absorption of solar radiation takes place over the tropics, while there is excess emission of longwave radiation to space over higher latitudes ”. References.

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How is Ocean Warming Impacting the Shipping Industry?

Ocean Conservancy

As deeply troubling reports continue to come in about ocean waters hitting historic hot temperatures, sectors like global shipping are trying to understand the consequences of a warmer ocean and what can be done to stop the heating. So, we’re seeing the ocean heat up, lose oxygen and get bigger.

Ocean 67
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A Nobel pursuit

Real Climate

The key aspects were the inclusion of water vapour feedback as temperatures increased, and the use of ‘convective adjustment’ to maintain stability of the lower atmospheric column. The basic issue stems from the different timescales of the ocean and atmosphere. But let’s go back to the beginning.