With air pollution dropping in many cities due to factory closures and fewer cars on the road, scientists say more sunlight will be able to reach the surface of the Earth, possibly resulting in hotter weather and stronger monsoons.
Climate scientist Laura Wilcox told The Guardian that aerosols, which stay in the atmosphere for one to two weeks, scatter and absorb radiation and make clouds more reflective. "With smaller amounts of aerosol in the atmosphere we will already be seeing more solar radiation reaching the surface, and thus potentially warmer surface temperatures in regions that usually have high levels of air pollution," she said.
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Wilcox said she will be watching India "very closely over the coming weeks. We would typically expect to see summer monsoon onset within the next four weeks, and would usually see both very hot temperatures and high aerosol levels ahead of monsoon onset."
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