View of Arctic glaciers (Image courtesy of Getty Image Bank/CCL)
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A team of Korean and international researchers has identified a natural process in the Arctic that could help the planet slow its own warming, the Korea Polar Research Institute announced Wednesday.
As Arctic temperatures rise and sea ice recedes, microscopic algae such as phytoplankton flourish, releasing dimethyl sulfide (DMS) — a sulfur compound that reacts with halogen oxidants from young, one-year-old ice to produce airborne particles.
These particles can scatter sunlight or promote cloud formation, lowering surface temperatures in what scientists call a “climate cooling effect.”
Analyzing a decade’s worth of atmospheric and satellite data from the Zeppelin Observatory near the Dasan Arctic Research Station, researchers found that the conversion efficiency of DMS to airborne particles peaked in spring over one-year ice.
A team of Korean and international researchers has identified a natural process in the Arctic that could help the planet slow its own warming. (Image courtesy of Korea Polar Research Institute)
With both one-year ice coverage and algal biomass on the rise due to recent Arctic warming, the findings suggest that this cooling effect may intensify.
The study is the first to trace the entire pathway from marine algae–derived DMS to atmospheric particles, offering new insight into how climate change might inadvertently boost natural cooling agents.
“The Arctic may be a victim of climate change, but it is also where the Earth’s self-recovery mechanisms are at work,” said Shin Hyung-chul, director of the Korea Polar Research Institute.
The research, supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, was published in the journal Environmental Research and involved collaborations with institutions in Spain, Sweden, and Italy.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
