Continuing industrialization in the twentieth century polluted air around the globe. But now, a study suggests that this process did not just affect people’s lungs: it also swelled rivers. By blocking the Sun, aerosol pollutants slowed evaporation, leaving more water on the ground to fill river basins…That effect has been observed following major volcanic eruptions that inject ash into the atmosphere on a global scale, points out Alan Robock, a climatologist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Given the various factors at play, says Robock, “I certainly wouldn’t suggest making the air dirtier.”
City Birds and Plants in Decline
Most bird and plant species in cities are native to those areas, but their numbers are rapidly decreasing around the world. Myla Aronson at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and her colleagues compiled and analysed data for birds in 54 c…
US cold snap fuels climate debate
The past several days have seen much of the United States gripped by freezing temperatures as the northerly jet stream pushed Arctic air south across North America. This has provided fuel for global-warming skeptics, even as scientists debate whether t…
