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Environment

Rising greenhouse gases have cooling effect on Antarctica’s atmosphere

A "negative greenhouse effect" means rising concentrations of CO2 and methane have slightly cooled parts of Antarctica’s upper atmosphere, but that could change as the air becomes more humid

By James Dinneen

16 February 2024

Antarctica

Above some parts of Antarctica, there is a curious negative greenhouse effect

imageBROKER.com GmbH & Co. KG / Alamy

Rising concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide have led to a “negative greenhouse effect” above parts of Antarctica, but this slight cooling effect could reverse as the air becomes more humid alongside rising temperatures.

Greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane heat the planet by trapping radiation from its surface. However, in certain rare circumstances they can have a cooling effect, where the atmosphere radiates more heat out into space from its warm upper layers than it traps nearer to…

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