REHOVOT, Israel, July 18 (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've determined tiny airborne particles are the cause of climate change, having a greater impact than greenhouse gases.
The researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science started a controversy a few years ago when they theorized such particles -- known as aerosols -- might be causing climate change. But attempts to understand how such particles influence cloud development generated many uncertainties.
A new paper by Ilan Koren of the Weizmann Institute Environmental Studies and Energy Research Department and the late Yoram Kauffman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center weaves together two opposing effects of atmospheric aerosols to provide a comprehensive picture of how they may be affecting our climate.
"We hope that this study has finally provided closure," said Koren. "Hopefully policy makers will start to tackle the issue of climate change from a different perspective, taking into account not only the global impact of aerosols and greenhouse gases, but local effects too."
The research is detailed online in the journal Science Express.
