Robert Allen

Cleaner East Asian air unmasks a much hotter planet

Tracie Ventimiglia — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:58:08 +0000

Cleaner East Asian air unmasks a much hotter planet Tracie Ventimiglia Mon, 07/14/2025 - 09:58 More News Jules Bernstein July 14, 2025

One of the most pressing mysteries in climate science is why Earth has begun warming faster over the past 15 years. A new international study points to a surprising contributor: cleaner air in East Asia, particularly China.

The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, found that East Asia’s aerosol reductions contributed about 0.05 degrees Celsius per decade to global temperatures since 2010. This accounts for most of the acceleration in warming observed during this period. The trend persists even after accounting for natural fluctuation events like El Niño.

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Robert Allen

Does planting trees really help cool the planet?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:48:50 +0000

Does planting trees really help cool the planet? Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/04/2025 - 13:48 More News Jules Bernstein May 29, 2025

Replanting forests can help cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19^th century is replanted, the total effect won’t cancel out human-generated warming. Cutting emissions remains essential.

In a new modeling study published in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, showed that restoring forests to their preindustrial extent could lower global average temperatures by 0.34 degrees Celsius. That is roughly one-quarter of the warming the Earth has already experienced.

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Robert Allen

Improving air quality increases forest fires

Tracie Ventimiglia — Wed, 29 May 2024 16:38:19 +0000

Improving air quality increases forest fires Tracie Ventimiglia Wed, 05/29/2024 - 09:38 More News Jules Bernstein May 29, 2024

If we want cleaner air, fewer forest fires, and less severe climate change, a new UC Riverside study shows we must reduce aerosol pollution and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide at the same time.

The study found that boreal forests in the northern hemisphere are particularly vulnerable to negative effects of cleaning up aerosol pollution. This includes forests in Canada, Alaska, northern Europe, and northern Russia.

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Robert Allen

CO2 worsens wildfires by helping plants grow

Tracie Ventimiglia — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:40:37 +0000

CO2 worsens wildfires by helping plants grow Tracie Ventimiglia Tue, 04/23/2024 - 13:40 More News Jules Bernstein April 17, 2024

By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a UC Riverside study.

The worldwide surge in wildfires over the past decade is often attributed to the hotter, drier conditions of climate change. However, the study found that the effect of increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) on plants may be a bigger factor.

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Robert Allen

Surprise effect: Methane cools even as it heats

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:25:35 +0000

Surprise effect: Methane cools even as it heats Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/29/2023 - 09:25 More News JULES BERNSTEIN March 29, 2023

Most climate models do not yet account for a new UC Riverside discovery: methane traps a great deal of heat in Earth’s atmosphere, but also creates cooling clouds that offset 30% of the heat.

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Robert Allen

Reducing aerosol pollution without cutting carbon dioxide could make the planet hotter

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:16:47 +0000

Reducing aerosol pollution without cutting carbon dioxide could make the planet hotter Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/01/2020 - 14:16 More News November 17, 2020

Humans must reduce carbon dioxide and aerosol pollution simultaneously to avoid weakening the ocean’s ability to keep the planet cool, new research shows.

Aerosol pollution refers to particles in the air emitted by vehicles and factories that burn fossil fuels. This pollution contributes to asthma, bronchitis, and long-term irritation of the respiratory tract, which can lead to cancer.

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Wei Liu

Robert Allen

A warming world increases air pollution

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 16:49:18 +0000

A warming world increases air pollution Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/05/2019 - 08:49 More News February 05, 2019 Riverside, Ca

Climate change is warming the ocean, but it’s warming land faster and that’s really bad news for air quality all over the world, says a new University of California, Riverside study.

The study, published February 4 in Nature Climate Change, shows that the contrast in warming between the continents and sea, called the land-sea warming contrast, drives an increased concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere that cause air pollution.

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Robert Allen

Global Warming, El Niño Could Cause Wetter Winters, Drier Conditions in Other Months

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 18:31:09 +0000

Global Warming, El Niño Could Cause Wetter Winters, Drier Conditions in Other Months Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/10/2018 - 11:31 More News October 10, 2018 Riverside, Ca

"RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — So here’s the good news: Despite fears to the contrary, California isn’t facing a year-round drought in our warming new world.

However, UC Riverside Earth Sciences Professor Robert Allen’s research indicates that what precipitation the state does get will be pretty much limited to the winter months — think deluge-type rainfall rather than snow — and non-winter months will be even dryer than usual, with little or no rain at all."

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Robert Allen

California Projected to Get Wetter Through This Century

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 21:32:34 +0000

California Projected to Get Wetter Through This Century Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/13/2018 - 14:32 More News July 06, 2017 Riverside, Ca

"Under business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions, climate models predict California will get warmer during the rest of the century and most also predict the state will get drier."

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Robert Allen

Clouds are Moving Higher, Subtropical Dry Zones Expanding

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 20:57:25 +0000

Clouds are Moving Higher, Subtropical Dry Zones Expanding Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/13/2018 - 13:57 More News July 11, 2016 Riverside, Ca

"A University of California, Riverside assistant professor and a team of researchers have found that the cloudy storm tracks on Earth are moving toward the poles and subtropical dry zones are expanding. Cloud tops are also moving higher in the atmosphere.

The findings, based on satellite cloud records, confirm computer climate models that have predicted these changes to have taken place during the past several decades as a consequence of the accumulation of societally generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Robert Allen