“We’re coming to realize more and more that we don’t really know exactly what a pristine atmosphere is like.”
While anthropogenic emissions dominate cloud formation in populated areas, plant volatiles dominate over more pristine land elsewhere.
“We are seeing more and more because our instruments are much better now,” she says.
To Fan, the new data suggests that sesquiterpenes may help better account for the global flow of aerosols.
Aerosols make clouds deflect more heat away from Earth-an effect known as “Radiative forcing.” More aerosols mean more reflective clouds that look whiter, last longer, and rain less.