Further hammering home the “science has settled climate change” mantra, researchers in Spain have found that global emissions of sulfur gases produced by marine life are contributing to previously unknown changes in temperature. It was discovered that it has a cooling effect.
It has long been known that the ocean captures and redistributes the sun's heat. But there's more to the story. a research has been published Published in Science Advances on November 29th pointed out The oceans, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, produce a gas known as marine sulfur. And one of these gases, methanethiol, is affecting the climate in ways that go unnoticed.
Microscopic plankton that live on the surface of the ocean “produce sulfur in the form of a gas called dimethyl sulfide, which oxidizes when released into the atmosphere to form tiny particles called aerosols,” says the University of East Anglia. UEA) said. news release.
“Aerosols reflect some of the sun's radiation back into space, reducing the amount of heat that Earth retains.” UEA explained. “When they participate in cloud formation, their cooling effect is further increased, producing an effect opposite, but on the same scale, as well-known warming greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.”
of Studying is “Ocean emissions of methanethiol increase aerosol cooling in the Southern Ocean.” That's based on measurements of methanethiol the researchers collected in seawater, adding measurements from the Southern Ocean and the Mediterranean coast. , UEA pointed out, “we have statistically correlated this with seawater temperatures obtained from satellites.''
“Climate models greatly exaggerate the amount of solar radiation that actually reaches the Southern Ocean. The main reason for this is that climate models do not have the ability to accurately simulate clouds,” UEA Oceans said. Sharelle Wall from the Center for Atmospheric Science and one of the study's lead authors said: said. “Our work here significantly closes a knowledge gap that has existed for many years between models and observations,” Wall said. “However, we had no idea about the amount or location.” I also didn't know it had such an impact on the climate. ”The impact is more pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere, where there is more ocean and less human activity, UEA points out.
“Until now, it was thought that the ocean released sulfur into the atmosphere only in the form of dimethyl sulfide, a plankton residue that is primarily responsible for the pungent odor of shellfish.” said Dr. Marti Gali, one of the study authors.
UEA is no stranger to breaking climate news. In November 2009, the university was embroiled in a scandal known as “Climategate.” The UEA's Climate Research Unit (CRU) was the source of a large number of emails 'suggesting' that: in the words of Climatologist Patrick Michaels said: “Some of the world's leading climate scientists have committed professional misconduct, data fraud, etc.'' in order to paint what scientist Keith Briffa calls a “beautiful, tidy story'' of climate history. It engaged in manipulation and fraud of both scientific literature and climate data.” It is not clear whether the emails were leaked or hacked, but they suggest that climate scientists are colluding to conceal scientific findings that question the theory of human-induced global warming. It was showing. The investigation initiated by the UEA did not yield any final conclusions. But, as Michaels pointed out, UK universities received generous climate research grants that discouraged them from investigating the issue in detail.
UEA continues to work to raise awareness about climate change. meanwhile its press release The Spanish study accurately summarizes the findings, saying it highlights “the magnitude of human activity's impact on the climate and that the planet will continue to warm if nothing is done.” claims. But what the UEA says it should do is cripple the economies of Britain, Germany and other European countries, drive up energy costs and undermine the stability of power grids in places like California, New York and Illinois. be. States with climate-centered energy policies.
At the same time, the recognition that there are still gaps in our understanding of the myriad variables behind changes in the Earth's climate makes those seeking to impose life-changing policies on the rest of us That should give you pause. Policies adopted based on an evolving understanding of the climate and with little regard for the impact on ordinary people are an invitation to open disaster.
Dr. Bonner Russell-Cohen is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT).
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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