Climate Change Update: Global warming slowed by aerosols

Global warming slowed by aerosols: "When released into the atmosphere, sulphate aerosols reflect incoming sunlight, cooling the climate system as a result - a phenomenon known as global dimming.

The two main sources of the molecules are man-made activities, such as burning fossil fuels, and natural events such as volcanic eruptions.

American researchers used satellite data to measure the change in sulphate aerosol concentration in the stratosphere, which extends above 15 kilometres, over the past 60 years.

The team, whose findings are published in the journal Science, then used these measurements to estimate the contribution the molecules made to global temperature and sea level rise.

They found an increase in aerosols in the upper atmosphere has decreased the global warming that would have otherwise occurred by 20 per cent over the past decade."