Atmospheric chemistry
The latest chemistry news and research on our atmosphere, including air pollution, aerosols and photochemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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FeatureCarbon in an ice world
Antarctica may seem pristine and almost devoid of life, but there’s plenty of chemistry going on. Victoria Atkinson explains what it can tell us about the climate and pollution across the globe
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ResearchHigh hydrogen sulfide levels blight lives of residents around Salton Sea in California
Concentrations of gas found to be underestimated and exceed local air quality standards
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ResearchInorganic mechanism driving mysterious surge of powerful greenhouse gas
Sunlight triggers nitrous oxide production in ocean surface water
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ResearchChlorine radicals could be used to destroy methane heading for the atmosphere
Researchers suggest positioning reactors that trigger methane oxidation at landfills and the ventilation exits of underground coal mines
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BusinessCarbon capture making slow progress in UK and Europe
Government funding welcomed, but issues over strategy and CO2 purity persist
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FeatureHow satellite remote sensing is enhancing our understanding of Earth
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance
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ResearchIsotope tracking suggests that plants cycle carbon faster than previously thought
New analysis suggests that vegetation is less able to offset climate change than had previously been calculated
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ResearchHydroxide-loaded sponge soaks up atmospheric carbon dioxide
Low-cost charcoal absorbs carbon dioxide and rapidly releases it in energy-efficient process
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ResearchMonsoons launch surprising amounts of ozone-depleting substances into lower atmosphere
Findings challenge past assumptions about ozone layer recovery
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NewsEPA’s clean air rule cuts chemical plant pollution
New regulation affects about 200 facilities in the US, reducing emissions of ethylene oxide, chloroprene and three other chemicals
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OpinionWater isn’t normal
Despite its familiarity, water is a chemical oddity. But that’s what makes it fascinating
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NewsThe start-ups taking on climate change by extracting carbon dioxide from the sea
Chemistry is at the heart of bold direct ocean capture plans to remove CO2 and sequester it
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ResearchCanadian oil tar sands operations emit far more pollution than reported
Analysis of all types of organic pollution reveals emissions underreported by as much as 6300%
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OpinionAtmospheres conducive to life
Researchers propose a new biosignature that could hint at habitable exoplanets
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ResearchIodine compounds accelerate cloud formation over oceans and the poles
Newly discovered chemical mechanisms behind aerosol nucleation could improve climate models
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ResearchResearchers identify metals released into the atmosphere by satellite reentry
Metals including niobium and hafnium detected in stratospheric aerosols
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ResearchNew understanding of why supercooled water droplets sometimes explode when they freeze
Imaging experiments with thousands of observations help scientists detail complex freezing process
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ResearchVolcanic sulfur dioxide linked to oxygen level rise in Earth’s early atmosphere
Study predicts 4.3% of oxygen in atmosphere today comes from breakdown of sulfur dioxide
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ResearchAcidic proton transfer inhibited on gas-phase ice nanoparticles
Fundamental findings about nitric acid dissociation will feed into atmospheric research on ozone depletion
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ResearchPhotophysical oxidation plays newly discovered role in atmospheric chemistry
Process is likely to be a general mechanism in tropospheric chemistry, especially at low altitudes