Open AccessBlack carbon's long trip to the abyssal plain
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo340016
Subject(s) - carbon black , environmental science , atmosphere (unit) , soot , carbon fibers , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , carbon dioxide , climate change , earth science , combustion , geology , geography , ecology , meteorology , oceanography , chemistry , materials science , natural rubber , organic chemistry , composite number , composite material , biology
Black carbon, or soot, is the second most important anthropogenic driver of global climate change, taking a backseat only to carbon dioxide. Whether from wood in a cookstove, coal in a power plant, or trees charred by a wildfire, black carbon is produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter. Once it gets into the environment, black carbon lowers the albedo when it settles on land, increasing warming and enhancing snow and ice melt. In the atmosphere, black carbon both helps and inhibits the formation of clouds.