Layer in Earth's atmosphere that protects us from UV radiation is SHRINKING due climate change
warns the layer in the atmosphere that protects us from the sun's deadly ultraviolet radiation is cooling and shrinking due to human-made greenhouse gas emissions. The mesosphere, located 30 to 50 miles above the surface, is cooling four to five degrees Fahrenheit and contracting up to 500 feet at the poles per decade - and these rates are expected to continue. A team of American scientists analyzed how temperature and pressure changed in the mesosphere over the summer skies of the North and South Poles. They analyzed blue ice clouds found over the poles in June, which are sensitive to temperate and water vapor, allowing the team see changes first hand. 'The only way you would expect them to change this way is if the temperature is getting colder and water vapor is increasing,' James Russell, a study co-author and atmospheric scientist at Hampton University in Virginia, said in a statement. Russel also explained that 'colder temperatures and abundant water vapor are both linked with climate change in the upper atmosphere.' The results mean that the mesosphere has cooled as carbon dioxide increased, which dropped atmospheric pressure and caused it to shrink. Though the warning has just been shared publicly, this cooling and shrinking of the mesosphere is not a surprise to researchers who conducted the analysis. For years, 'models have been showing this effect,' Brentha Thurairajah, a Virginia Tech atmospheric scientist who contributed to the study, said in the statement. 'It would have been weirder if our analysis of the data didn't show this.' Researchers pulled together data from three NASA satellites that have been monitoring the mesosphere for the past 30 years, allowing them to observe trends overtime. Scott Bailey, an atmospheric scientist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and lead of the study, said in a statement: 'You need several decades to get a handle on these trends and isolate what's happening due to greenhouse gas emissions, solar cycle changes, and other effects. 'We had to put together three satellites' worth of data.' Approximately 150 miles above the surface is the thermosphere that is also being impacted by climate change on Earth. Researchers found atmospheric gases in this part of the atmosphere can cause satellite drag, in where the devices are slowing down in low-Earth orbit. However, the team is not concerned about active satellites, but those that are dead and expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. If they experience drag, their time in orbit can be extended and add to the millions of pieces of space junk still circling our planet. NASA is looking at ways to help the US government better understand the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. In May, it announced that it is developing a new satellite-centric program to do so. Known as the Earth System Observatory, at least five satellites will be launched through 2029 to create a 3D view of the Earth, looking at everything from its bedrock to its atmosphere. The satellites will look at a whole host of areas related to human activities and weather events, including aerosols, rising sea levels and the impact that climate change is having on food and agriculture. Measuring ice-sheet collapse, as well as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, are also a part of the mission. Assessing droughts and forecasting associated planning of water use for agriculture is also a part of the mission. 'I've seen firsthand the impact of hurricanes made more intense and destructive by climate change, like Maria and Irma,' NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson said in a statement. ' Nelson continued: 'Over the past three decades, much of what we've learned about the Earth's changing climate is built on NASA satellite observations and research. NASA's new Earth System Observatory will expand that work, providing the world with an unprecedented understanding of our Earth's climate system, arming us with next-generation data critical to mitigating climate change, and protecting our communities in the face of natural disasters.'