A new impact of greenhouse gas emissions has been discovered by NASA scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It involves the cooling of the highest layer of the atmosphere.
Specifically, Earth’s atmosphere is divided into four distinct layers: the troposphere (closest to the Earth’s surface), followed by the stratosphere, mesosphere, and finally the thermosphere.
While we often perceive climate change as causing global warming, it is paradoxically causing cooling in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas produced by humans, is being trapped by the troposphere (acting as a heat reservoir), causing rapid cooling in the mesosphere and thermosphere.
In these two layers, the molecules are extremely rare and, therefore, it becomes challenging to retain heat, resulting in worrying consequences as the temperature decreases.
In other words, if the lower layers of the atmosphere are warming, the upper layers are becoming colder.
Worrisome Consequences
In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, NASA scientists have confirmed the existence of this process and its potential serious consequences for humanity.
While global warming is occurring at a rapid pace, the cooling of the uppermost layers of the atmosphere is becoming even more severe.
Between 2019 and 2022, the mesosphere and thermosphere have cooled by 1.7°C, and by the end of the 21st century, the temperature could drop by as much as 7.5°C.
Such temperature decreases will cause the air to contract, resulting in a depleted and eventually molecularly sparse atmosphere.
The stratosphere has already lost 1% of its volume, equivalent to a height of about 400 meters over the past 17 years.
According to NASA, the shrinking of the atmosphere can have significant impacts.
Firstly, it can lead to the collapse of satellites and objects in low Earth orbit, posing a higher risk of collisions or falling to the Earth’s surface, endangering human safety.
This shrinkage also contributes to the expansion of the ozone hole, particularly in the polar regions. Lastly, it disrupts typical weather patterns, such as intense rainfall and recurring heatwaves.