- A new analysis by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Physical Research
Laboratory has shown that the Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau region has been
witnessing an alarming increase in aerosol levels. - Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in air or as a gas.
- Aerosols can be natural, such as fog or gas from volcanic eruptions, or artificial, such as
smoke from burning fossil fuels. - Aerosol particles are either emitted directly to the atmosphere (primary aerosols) or
produced in the atmosphere from precursor gases (secondary aerosols). - Aerosol particles are tiny, but numerous, and often comprise of a number of inorganic
and organic substances. - True aerosol particles range in diameter from a few millimicrometres to about 1
micrometre (equal to 10-4 cm). - Particles with a diameter of less than 0.1 micrometre are sometimes referred to as
Aitken nuclei. - Visible forms of atmospheric aerosol plumes include smoke, smog, haze and dust.
- Aerosol particles, such as dust, play an important role in the precipitation process,
providing the nuclei upon which condensation and freezing take place. - They affect climate by reflecting or absorbing incoming solar radiation and enhancing
the brightness, and thus reflectivity, of clouds.
