Atmospheric Brown Clouds: Long-Range Transport and Climate Impacts

Abstract

Although mistakenly assumed to be restricted to urban regions, atmospheric brown clouds, such as the Denver Brown Cloud, are frequently occurring phenomena in many regions of the world. Recent field studies and satellite data have revealed that, due to long-range transport, the brown cloud (or haze) covers vast areas of the world, including an entire continent and ocean. This article considers the environmental and climate influences of atmospheric brown clouds.