Saturday, September 07, 2013

How Soot Killed the Little Ice Age

IMPACT OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: Soot deposits from glaciers in the Swiss–Italian Alps have revealed why glaciers began to retreat in the mid-nineteenth century. (Image: imagebroker/Alamy)
Rising air pollution in the wake of the Industrial Revolution seems to be the explanation for a long-standing enigma in glaciology. The emission of soot from Europe’s proliferating factory smokestacks and steam locomotives explains why glaciers in the Alps began their retreat long before the climate warming caused by human activities kicked in, a study suggests.

How Soot Killed the Little Ice Age

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