/

Global warming levels masked by aerosols: study

There was a silver lining to the sulfur pollution in our atmosphere late last century – it offset some of the warming effects of greenhouse gases. And now we're cleaning up our act, the Arctic has suffered. Amy Middleton reports.

A computer simulation showing particles of dust and aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere. Dust (red) and sea salt (blue) form due to cyclonic wind patterns. Smoke particles (green) originate from natural and man-made fires. Sulphate particles (white) originate from volcanoes and fossil fuel emissions. Credit: William Putman/ NASA