Cosmic Rays and their Connections to Earth's Climate

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47456/Cad.Astro.v6n1.47661

Keywords:

cosmic rays, cloud formation, climate

Abstract

There is now a consensus among scientists that human contribution to greenhouse gas emissions has caused a significant increase in global temperature over the last century, with simulations indicating an increase of around 5.0°C by 2100. In these models, cloud dynamics contribute the greatest uncertainties. Although the process is based on a relatively well-known chain, from aerosols evolving into condensation nuclei to macroscopic clouds, the role of ionic induction promoted by cosmic rays as a possible intensifier of nucleating processes in the atmosphere remains inconclusive. Recent research carried out at the particle physics laboratory, CLOUD/CERN, despite the difficult task of emulating the atmosphere in the laboratory, has yielded results that motivate its study in a real system, as in the Brazilian project CRE4AT (Cosmic Ray Experiment for Atmosphere).

Author Biography

  • André Massafferri Rodrigues, Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    André Massafferri Rodrigues (massafferri@cbpf.br) é Físico Experimental em Física de Partículas de Altas Energias do Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas e membro da Colaboração do experimento LHCb, um dos 4 grandes experimentos instalado no anel de colisão LHC/CERN. É especialista em instrumentação científica e raios cósmicos. Em 2014, criou o projeto CRE4AT para estudos de mudanças climáticas associadas a formação de nuvens.

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Published

03-04-2025

How to Cite

[1]
A. M. Rodrigues, “Cosmic Rays and their Connections to Earth’s Climate”, Cad. Astro., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 72–80, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.47456/Cad.Astro.v6n1.47661.