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Soot, sulfate, dust and the climate — three ways through the fog

How much have aerosol particles slowed warming? Joyce Penner sets out priorities for a coordinated campaign of observations and modelling.
  1. Joyce E. Penner

    1. Joyce E. Penner is the Ralph J. Cicerone Professor of Atmospheric Sciences in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

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A wall of dust approaches downtown Phoenix

A dust storm in Phoenix, Arizona. Credit: Daniel J Bryant/Getty

Greenhouse gases might be the main culprits in the rapid warming of our planet, but particles in the air also play a part. Soot, dust, sulfate and other aerosols can both cool the atmosphere and warm it. Yet, nearly 30 years after the first report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we still don’t really know how much aerosols influence the climate1,2. These particles remain one of the greatest lingering sources of uncertainty.

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Nature 570, 158-159 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01791-6

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