GLOBAL DIMMING - SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?

Global dimming suggests that although the earth’s temperature is increasing, the rate of evaporation is decreasing. This means that the rays of the sun are not penetrating all the way to the surface.

The evaporation tests were done over years, by farmers out evaporation dishes everyday. Scientists concluded that there is a decrease in the evaporation rate. This could be due various reasons. One of these is the polluted clouds. The suns rays are reflected from the clouds, back into outer space. Pollutants in the clouds are caused by various agents. Fossil fuels are burnt and form by-products that cause the pollution in clouds. It changes the chemistry of the clouds and other aerosols also contribute to the pollution factor.

 

The only evidence scientist to prove this is after 11 September 1999, when there was an increase of 1⁰C over three days, when the air space above America was not used. This also proved that contrails also contribute to the increase of global dimming. Global dimming is a very serious problem and is linked to various diseases. The only problem we have, is that if we try to fix the problem it could lead to a rapid increase in surface temperature.

Eugene Marinus
2357422@uwc.ac.za