What Poop Gives a Shit About !
Every year , migratory seabirds decorate the rocks of Arctic nations with their guano — or poop — as they nestle in for the summer . And that high volume of ammonia-rich poop , it turns out , actually has a slight cooling effect on the atmosphere , researchers report today in Nature Communications . Using model simulations collective with summertime observations of the atmosphere around Nunavut in Canada , the team found that the emissions of ammonia from guano unleash summertime bursts of particles in the atmosphere . Once it goes airborne , the ammonia interacts with sulfuric acid and water , making particles that become the nuclei around which water condenses , giving birth to clouds . Clouds play a complex role in the climate , but the low-lying clouds formed by the ammonia reflect received sunlight and eventually have a chilling effect on the region , the researchers found . It ’ s a substantial regional effect across the Arctic , they note — but not enough to counter its current rapid warming ( i . e . global warming ).
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