Pacific heatwaves linked to lower factory emissions from China

Reductions in emissions of aerosols from Chinese factories may be partly to blame for recent heatwaves in the Pacific, a new study has said.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that repeated marine heatwaves over the past decade could be linked to reduction in pollution from factories in China.

Over the past decade, the north Pacific has experienced multiple such heatwaves – also known as "warm blob” events – leading to fish die-offs, toxic algae blooms and missing whales.

Such heatwaves have been generally attributed to global warming though it is unknown exactly why it could cause such sudden and variable increases in a specific part of the planet.

The research team of oceanographers and scientists from China, the US and Germany noted that the onset of the heatwaves appeared to follow successful efforts by the Chinese government to reduce aerosol emissions from their country's factories.

Aerosols are small particles that are commonly emitted from burning coal and oil – they can act like mirrors floating in the air, reflecting heat from the sun back into space.

Efforts to curb pollution can sometimes have a paradoxical effect of warming up areas nearby, due to the fact that tiny aerosol particles in the air can ‘reflect’ the sun’s heat back into space.