‘Pollution cools monsoon days’
News
- Increased emissions of aerosols in the Indian atmosphere due to pollution are beginning to have a definite cooling effect, during Indian summer monsoon
Important fact
- The increased cooling is seen during the day, while the night time temperature is increasing, thus shrinking the diurnal temperature difference.
- As diurnal temperature is decreasing, the lower layer of the atmosphere is reducing in height and coming closer to the earth’s surface.
- This will cause more aerosols to get into the atmosphere, thus impacting the lower atmospheric turbulence, which may eventually affect the distribution of moisture and rainfall.
- The increased concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere also tends to change the shape and characteristics of rain-bearing clouds, leading to extreme rainfall events but weakened monsoon rainfall.
- When aerosol loading is higher, the anvil (cloud top) contains more number of smaller ice particles, which tend to reflect the shortwave radiation from the top of the cloud, leading to increased cooling of the earth’s surface.
