As world leaders hammer our a climate change agreement in Copenhagen, as if we dont have enough to worry about, with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases a tiny dark particle is also getting attention introducing black carbon.

NASA has released an animated video illustrating the spread of black carbon across the Earth. The presentation uses satellite data to reveal how black carbon circulates in perpetual motion across the globe.

As world leaders hammer our a climate change agreement in Copenhagen, as if we dont have enough to worry about, with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases a tiny dark particle is also getting attention introducing black carbon. [CCTV.com]

Black carbon is a product of incomplete combustion. It comes from industrial pollution, traffic, fires, the burning of coal in homes, and bio-mass fuels.

Unlike carbon dioxide , which traps heat in the atmosphere, soot emissions may contribute to global warming and climate change by absorbing sunlight. This process heats the air and destabilizes the atmosphere.

(CCTV December 16, 2009)