636 Concepts in Review 20.10 How KEY Discuss the possible impacts CLIMATE 20. TE
ID: 105799 • Letter: 6
Question
636 Concepts in Review 20.10 How KEY Discuss the possible impacts CLIMATE 20. TERMS: aerosols, of aerosols on climate change. black carbon Aerosols are tiny liquid and solid particles that are in the air. Global climate is affected by human activities that contribute to the at- mosphere's aerosol content. Most aerosols reflect a portion of incoming solar radiation back to space and therefore have a cooling effect. Overall, aerosols have a cooling effect, yet some aerosols called black carbon (soot from combustion processes and fires) absorb incoming solar radiation and warm the atmosphere. When black carbon is depos- ited on snow and ice, it reduces surface albedo and increases the amount of light absorbed at the surface. Q Do aerosols spend more or less time in the atmosphere than green house gases such as carbon dioxide? What is the significance of this difference in residence time? Explain. GIVE IT SOME THOUGHTExplanation / Answer
SOLUTION:-
The colloidal state having solid/liquid colloidal particles dispersed in air is called AEROSOL. e.g. smoke, dust, fog, clouds etc. it spend more time in the atmosphere than green house gases. Fog is an aerosol of water in air. If large amounts of certain liquids are forced high into the atmosphere they can have an effect on the climate. Although the abundance of aerosols varies over short time scales, for example after a volcanic eruption, over the long term the atmosphere is naturally cleansed through mixing processes and rainfall. Cleansing is never complete however, and there exists a natural background level of aerosols in the atmosphere. The average time spent in the atmosphere by aerosols is dependent upon their physical and chemical characteristics, and the time and location of their release. Natural sources of aerosols are probably 4 to 5 times larger than man-made ones on a global scale, but regional variations of man-made aerosol emissions may change this ratio significantly in certain areas, particularly in the industrialised Northern Hemisphere. At certain times of the year, the natural background level of aerosols may increase, for example, during the growing season, when large quantities of pollen are released into the atmosphere.
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