I read a Climate.Gov blog post attributed to the Climate.Gov Staff. You can access it HERE. I spent maybe four hours researching the topic separate from the time it takes to publish this article. I know some chemistry both from college and my work in the mining industry but this was intense. There is a paper written about this topic which you can pay to access HERE. I rarely write about things where the reader can not access the full article without paying for it but I am making an exception today for five reasons:
Climate.gov thought it was important to talk about this when they could not provide the underlying article to their readers. However, I was able to access and include the Abstract in this article.
The hydroxyl radical plays a part in cleaning the atmosphere of pollutants including Greenhouse Gases.
If you search “Hydroxyl” you will find a lot of literature on this topic.
This dinosaur, your author, was intrigued with what is Hydroxyl and why the symbol was OH and not HO.
I am interested in Weather Modification to increase precipitation and I thought I needed to know about this.
Smokestacks protrude above fog. Credit: Pixabay
Scientists supported by CPO’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) Program are investigating the hydroxyl radical (OH), a molecule that despite its short lifetime of a few seconds, reacts with harmful gases and acts as a cleaning agent in Earth’s atmosphere. AC4-funded scientist Loretta Mickley of Harvard University worked with a team of researchers to compile a review exploring how OH, influenced by climate and human activities, impacts air quality, climate, and public health. This study works toward an AC4 initiative to explain trends, patterns, and extremes detectable in the existing long–term observational records of atmospheric composition.
OH reacts with certain air pollutants and greenhouse gases, breaking them down to help maintain air quality. However, difficulties in directly observing OH responses to climate and uncertainties in models make it challenging to predict OH changes. Climate warming, emissions, and human choices contribute to this complexity. Moreover, in a warmer climate, OH concentration in the atmosphere will increase primarily because of its dependence on water vapor. To confidently project OH, scientists need to reduce uncertainties in reactions, measurements, and emissions.
Mr. Silber is a mathematician and an economist with many years of experience in a variety of technologies. He started his career at Bell Telephone Laboratories and has worked in and provided consulting to many participants in the computer and communications industries. He has also been very involved with Natural Resources having been a V.P. of Planning and Financial Analysis for Kennecott Minerals. Mr. Silber has also taught a graduate course in Information Economics at Polytechnic University which is now part of New York University. Mr. Silber has served as an elected Supervisor and Secretary Treasurer of the Santa Fe - Pojoaque Soil and Water Conservation District. In addition to his consulting practice, Mr. Silber is working on a book that will address the economic issues related to Global Warming.
