Aerosols conclusion (5th six weeks)

Aerosols are tiny solids and liquids that are suspended in the air. These form clouds and help the water cycle, but can also be harmful to the environment. Most aerosols are formed naturally from volcanoes, forest fires, sea spray, etc. but some of them are created by humans. These are made by burning fossil fuels and altering earth’s surface. Large cities create the most aerosols since there are more cars and buildings that burn fossil fuels. Aerosols have a direct cooling effect. When there are more aerosols in the atmosphere, more clouds are formed. This means more sunlight is reflected back into space and the earth cools down.

Aerosols can be bad, too. The bad: human made aerosols contribute to the urban heat island effect (UHI). The urban heat island effect is defined as the increase in urban temperatures as compared to surrounding suburban and rural temperatures. This happens because of the dark building materials used in cities (asphalt, buildings, and cars) and the lack of grass and vegetation. Since the temperatures are higher in the urban areas, this also means the people must use more air conditioners, creating more aerosols. The more cities built in the world means the earth’s temperature will raise more, creating global climate change.