Scientists Discover Arctic Cloud Factory Missing from Climate Models

Topic: Environment

A team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham discovered a new process in the Arctic that creates cloud-forming particles. This discovery could help improve climate models and understand how the Arctic responds to climate change.

Scientists have found a natural process in the Arctic that can cause the number of cloud-forming particles in the atmosphere to surge. This discovery was made by an international team led by the University of Birmingham, with collaborators in China and Spain.

The researchers observed this process near the edge of sea ice, where marine life and sunlight help produce a chemical mixture that seeds the atmosphere with particles capable of influencing clouds. These particles are formed from naturally occurring iodine, sulfur, and organic compounds released into the air.

In one day, the number of particles capable of forming cloud droplets increased fifty-fold near the edge of sea ice. As the Arctic warms, more sea ice melts, exposing a larger area where this process can occur. This could lead to changes in cloud cover, which affects how much energy is absorbed or reflected by the Earth.

The research was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and used data collected during an expedition aboard the Royal Research Ship Discovery around Greenland and the Davis Strait in spring and summer 2022.

Why It Matters

This discovery can help improve climate models, which are critical for predicting how the Arctic will respond to climate change. The Arctic has warmed more than three times faster than the global average over the past 40 years, making it one of the most sensitive regions on Earth to climate change.

Key Facts

• A team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham discovered a new process in the Arctic that creates cloud-forming particles.
• This discovery was made near the edge of sea ice, where marine life and sunlight help produce a chemical mixture that seeds the atmosphere with particles capable of influencing clouds.
• The number of particles capable of forming cloud droplets increased fifty-fold in one day near the edge of sea ice.
• As the Arctic warms, more sea ice melts, exposing a larger area where this process can occur.
• This discovery can help improve climate models and understand how the Arctic responds to climate change.

Key Terms

Arctic cloud factory

A natural process in the Arctic that creates cloud-forming particles

Cloud condensation nuclei

Small particles in the atmosphere that can influence cloud formation

Implications

This discovery can help improve climate models, which are critical for predicting how the Arctic will respond to climate change. The Arctic has warmed more than three times faster than the global average over the past 40 years, making it one of the most sensitive regions on Earth to climate change.