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Abundant plant gas forms aerosol particles at high altitude — and could affect the climate

Aerial observations and experiments with a simulated atmosphere show that isoprene, a gas emitted by trees, is a precursor of particles in the upper atmosphere. The findings could help to improve climate predictions.
By
  1. James Allan

    1. James Allan is at the University of Manchester and National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.

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Aerosol particles in the atmosphere affect the formation and properties of clouds, and their effects are therefore important to include in models of weather and climate. However, the uncertainties in estimating the size of these effects have remained stubbornly high1. Particles can either be directly emitted into the atmosphere or formed from scratch through chemical reactions involving gaseous precursors. Previously identified precursors include sulfurous gases2 generated by volcanoes, microorganisms and fossil-fuel burning, for example; iodine produced by marine algae3; and certain members of a class of organic compounds called terpenes, which are produced by trees4. Two papers published in Nature now report laboratory experiments5 and atmospheric observations6 showing that isoprene, an abundant gas produced by plants, should be added to this select list.

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Nature 636, 51-52 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03844-x

References

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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