Soot Particles and Incoming Solar Radiation

Soot particles, also known as black carbon, act like tiny sponges in the atmosphere. They absorb incoming solar radiation, the energy from the sun that travels towards Earth. This absorbed energy gets converted to heat, warming the surrounding air. This heating disrupts the natural balance of energy transfer in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

Here's a breakdown of the effect:

• Absorption: Soot particles are dark because they absorb most wavelengths of sunlight very efficiently.
• Heating: As they absorb sunlight, the particles themselves heat up.
• Atmospheric impact: This heating of the particles can trap heat in the lower atmosphere, leading to regional warming.

Aerosols and Airborne Transmission

Aerosols are tiny particles or liquid droplets that float around in the air. They can come from a variety of sources, including dust, sea spray, and even volcanic eruptions. In the context of airborne transmission, we're most concerned with respiratory droplets and aerosols that carry viruses.

Here's how aerosols play a role in spreading diseases:

• Respiratory droplets: When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks, they expel respiratory droplets that contain the virus. These droplets can vary in size, with some small enough to linger in the air for extended periods as aerosols.
• Transmission: If another person inhales these infectious aerosols, the virus can enter their respiratory system and potentially cause an infection.

So, while soot particles impact the atmosphere's energy balance, aerosols play a role in the spread of airborne diseases.

Soot Particles and Incoming Solar Radiation

Soot particles, also known as black carbon, act like tiny sponges in the atmosphere for incoming solar radiation. Here's how they affect it:

• Absorption: Soot is dark because it absorbs strongly across most wavelengths of sunlight. This absorption traps the solar energy as heat, warming the surrounding air in the atmosphere.

This warming effect from soot disrupts the natural balance of energy transfer on Earth. It contributes to warming the atmosphere, which is a factor in climate change.

Aerosols and Airborne Transmission

Aerosols are tiny particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air. Soot particles are one type of aerosol, but there are many others. Here's how aerosols can influence airborne transmission:

• Carriers: When infected people cough, sneeze, or talk, respiratory droplets containing viruses or bacteria can get lodged in aerosols. These aerosol droplets can then linger in the air for extended periods, increasing the chance of inhaling them and getting infected.
• Travel Distance: Larger droplets carrying germs typically fall to the ground quickly. But when these droplets become attached to aerosols, they can stay airborne for longer and travel farther distances, increasing the potential for airborne transmission.

It's important to note that not all aerosols play a role in transmission. The size and composition of the aerosol can significantly influence how effectively it carries germs.

Respected Sir,

Rk Naresh

Soot particles, also known as black carbon aerosols, have specific effects on incoming solar radiation and can contribute to airborne transmission in different ways:

Overall, soot particles in the atmosphere have complex effects on both radiation balance and airborne transmission. While they contribute to warming through the absorption of solar radiation, they can also play a role in the dissemination of airborne pathogens, highlighting the interconnected nature of air quality, climate, and public health. Efforts to mitigate the emissions of soot and other particulate matter can have benefits not only for reducing climate impacts but also for improving air quality and reducing the risk of airborne disease transmission.

Dr Murtadha Shukur and Dr Himanshu Tiwari thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Soot particles absorb solar radiation across a broad spectrum of wavelengths, particularly in the visible and near-infrared range. This absorption leads to localized heating of the atmosphere where the soot is present; contributing to warming. It exacerbates warming of the air and surfaces in regions where it is concentrated, altering weather patterns and ecosystem cycles. Soot particles as black carbon, act like tiny sponges in the atmosphere. They absorb incoming solar radiation, the energy from the sun that travels towards Earth. These toxic particles can cause breathing issues, including aggravated asthma, bronchitis and more severe respiratory illnesses that can restrict your ability to carry out normal activities. Soot warms the atmosphere by absorbing incoming and scattered heat from the Sun. It also promotes the formation of clouds, and generates further warming by dimming the reflective surface of snow and ice.Black carbon, or soot, accelerates warming because the fine particles absorb heat when they are in the air and when they darken snow and ice. Although some lighter-colored fine particles can have a cooling effect because they block sunlight, other black carbon sources have a warming effect because they absorb it. In the atmosphere or as deposits on snow and ice surfaces, soot particles absorb the short-wave radiation of the sun and thus contribute to global warming. In the atmosphere, soot particles also have an indirect effect on the climate by altering the formation, development and properties of clouds. Black carbon is a light-absorbing particle in the air that contributes to climate change by releasing heat energy into the atmosphere. Black carbon is the second most important contributor to global warming and is considered a short-lived climate pollutant.Airborne transmission refers to the passage of micro-organisms from a source to a person through aerosols, resulting in infection of the person with or without consequent disease. Aerosols are a suspension of solid or liquid particles in a gas, with particle size from 0.001 to over 100 μm. The aerosol transmission route is biologically plausible for a pathogen when (1) aerosols containing the pathogen are generated by or from an infectious person, (2) the pathogen remains viable in the environment for some period of time, and (3) the target tissues in which the pathogen initiates infection are accessible. Black carbon, a soot component, has a strong warming influence on the atmosphere because it absorbs incoming solar radiation and generates heat in the atmosphere. BC can affect regional cloud formation and precipitation patterns. In addition to scattering or absorbing radiation, aerosols can alter the reflectivity, or albedo, of the planet. Bright surfaces reflect radiation and cool the climate, whereas darker surfaces absorb radiation and produce a warming effect.

Solar radiation is light photons that have a specific frequency and speed proportional to the vacuum through which they travel. When these photons collide with particles of cosmic and terrestrial dust, they are reflected from their straight path towards the solar cells, and this affects the productivity of the production of electrical energy.

Dr Hayder Makkee Namaa Almutar thank you for your contribution to the discussion