Helsinki Study Says Plankton Emissions Can Speed Ocean Cloud Formation 10-Fold
Updated
Updated · helsinki.fi · Jun 25
Helsinki Study Says Plankton Emissions Can Speed Ocean Cloud Formation 10-Fold
1 articles · Updated · helsinki.fi · Jun 25
Summary
Clouds over cold oceans may form up to 10 times faster than thought because methanesulfonic acid from marine plankton can generate and grow cloud-seeding particles far more strongly than models assumed.
CERN's CLOUD chamber showed that below -10 C, MSA formed new nuclei as effectively as sulfuric acid when trace ammonia was present, and the two compounds reinforced each other by building shared molecular clusters.
From +9 C to -52 C, MSA also sped particle growth, helping fragile nanometre-scale particles survive long enough to become cloud condensation nuclei.
Global simulations found the biggest boost in particle and CCN concentrations over pristine Arctic and Antarctic oceans, where climate models currently underestimate CCN by more than half and carry a warm bias.
The findings suggest natural plankton emissions could matter more as fossil-fuel sulfur dioxide declines, making better representation of marine biological aerosols important for future climate forecasts.
If plankton create more clouds than we knew, was the warming effect of our past emissions even worse than we thought?
As warming oceans alter plankton life, could this powerful natural cooling mechanism begin to fail?
Marine Plankton Now Drive Cloud Formation Ten Times Faster—A Game-Changer for Climate Science and Policy
Overview
As sulfur dioxide emissions from fossil fuels decrease, marine plankton are becoming much more influential in shaping our climate. These tiny ocean organisms act as natural seeds for clouds, making their biological contributions to cloud formation more effective than ever before. This means the smallest ocean life forms now play a bigger role in how clouds form and how our climate behaves. To make dependable climate predictions, it is vital to accurately understand and include these complex biological processes in climate models, highlighting the growing importance of plankton in Earth's climate system.