GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- New research from NASA's Goddard Space Center scientists suggests emissions of black soot have been altering the way sunlight reflects off Earth's snow.
The research indicates the soot could be responsible for as much as 25 percent of global warming over the past century.
Soot emitted by burning wood and coal -- especially in Earth's higher latitudes, where ice is more common -- absorbs more of the sun's energy and warmth than an icy, white background, the scientists explained. The soot, made of dark-colored, black carbon, absorbs sunlight, while lighter colored ice reflects sunlight.
Scientists found soot's effects on snow reflectivity could be contributing to early springs in the Northern Hemisphere, thinning Arctic sea ice and melting glaciers and permafrost. Soot also is thought to play a role in changes in the atmosphere above the oceans as well as land, they said.
