That is the conclusion reached by an international team of scientists, led by the University of Leeds, in the United Kingdom. Particles in the atmosphere are capable of altering the climate of planet Earth, by absorbing or reflecting sunlight. These particles are produced by vehicles and by industry, but there are also those that are naturally present in the planet's atmosphere.
According to the study they have published in the scientific journal 'Nature Geoscience‘, during the warmer years they cool the climate, thus mitigating the extent of global warming.
To arrive at this discovery, the researchers combined atmospheric measurements with a computer model in order to map the effects of smoke from forest fires and the gases emitted by trees. Thus, they could know that ''as the planet warms, plants release more volatile gases from their leaves, gases that, for example, give pine forests a pine smell. Once in the air, these gases can form small particles»Which reflect the energy of the sun king. Consequently, the earth coolsaccording to Dr. Catherine Scott, the study's lead author.
This cooling, known as negative weather feedback, thus partially compensates for the increase in temperature. Forests act as air conditioners and reduce warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.
For his part, Dominic Spracklen, co-author of the study, said that "in general, the response of the climate to an initial warming is to amplify that warming, that is, a positive feedback"; even so, "reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required to avoid dangerous levels of global warming».
To learn more about this interesting topic, we recommend doing click here.