Wildfire Pollution May Play Surprising Role in Fate of Arctic Sea Ice

"Smoke brightens Arctic clouds, perhaps slowing ice loss, but the ice is still dwindling, which can further intensify wildfires in an unexpected feedback loop."

"Scientists say changes in the amounts of wildfire smoke mixing with clouds over the Arctic Ocean may play a key role in determining how fast the Arctic sea ice cover will shrink during the next few decades, and when it will disappear completely in summer.

A climate modeling study published Wednesday in Science Advances took a close look at the complex interaction of wildfire aerosol pollution, clouds and sea ice from 1997 to 2014, and its findings suggest that Arctic sea ice melts more during summers with relatively low fire activity.

The tiny aerosol particles generated by wildfires are carried around the northern hemisphere by winds and sometimes swirl into the Arctic, where they can seed water droplets and brighten clouds, increasing the amount of light and heat they reflect away from the Earth."

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News July 27, 2022.

Source: Inside Climate News, 07/28/2022