’Clouds act like an umbrella for the Earth, cooling it down.’ Yu Wang investigates how precisely aerosols and the cooling effect of clouds work. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Nicola Pitaro)
'Clouds act like an umbrella for the Earth, cooling it down.' Yu Wang investigates how precisely aerosols and the cooling effect of clouds work. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Nicola Pitaro) One of the greatest unknowns in climate change is the question of how particulate matter affects clouds. Yu Wang is using machine learning and satellite data to investigate the surprising role of these tiny particles in the atmosphere. In autumn 2014, Iceland's Holuhraun volcano erupted, spewing daily about 120,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the air at its peak. A thick belt of tiny particles, also known as aerosols - a notorious air pollutant, formed in the atmosphere above this otherwise virtually unspoiled region. This volcanic eruption served as a very good natural experiment that allowed climate researchers to study how the sudden upwelling of particulate matter affected clouds.
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