Scientists say human-caused pollution may be masking the true extent of climate warming

Aerosol pollution generated by humans cools the climate more than previously thought, new research has found.

The effect of fine particles on cloud properties may be masking the true extent of global warming, according to the study led by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

The authors say the findings will help improve the ability of scientific models to predict the future impact of climate change and global warming induced by greenhouse gas emissions.

Aerosols are tiny floating particles in the air which are often not or barely visible to the human eye. They can come from natural sources such as volcanoes or sea spray but also from human-caused sources such as the burning of fossil fuels, industrial emissions or even cooking.

The new study found that the formation and properties of low-altitude clouds are highly sensitive to changes in atmospheric concentrations of these tiny particles.

The discovery may provide a better understanding of how much aerosol pollution from human activity has slowed down climate warming caused by greenhouse gases.

The research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, examined long-term measurements collected at Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) monitoring stations in Svalbard and Finland.

The characteristics of clouds can vary a lot over time, meaning scientists had to take long-term measurements to accurately determine how aerosols could be influencing them.

They found that cloud properties are more strongly affected by changes in aerosol levels than previously believed.

"Emissions of anthropogenic fine particles have cooled the climate by modifying cloud properties and have thus partly counteracted greenhouse