Impacts of atmospheric pollution on climate change – laboratory studies

Through many interactions, the composition and chemistry of the atmosphere are inherently connected to the climate system since atmospheric pollutants initiate chemical reactions affecting the climatically important compounds such as greenhouse gases. Therefore, when considering climate–chemistry interactions in the atmosphere, it is not only important to study the emissions of the climate compounds, but also to consider the chemical processes and the distribution of the compounds in the atmospheric regions by assessing their atmospheric sources and fates and determining their lifetimes. A considerable amount of kinetic studies has been carried out in this field. Consequently, progressive improvements in the database for reactions involving atmospheric pollutants and the quantification of their atmospheric lifetimes are made. This is fundamental to understanding the relationship between the budget and the trends of atmospheric pollutants and thus, their impact on the climate. This issue is an essential step helping to develop effective control strategies and to establish appropriate legislations in order to prevent the emission of pollutants and to protect the atmosphere. In this respect, this paper focus on the impact of the gas phase chemistry on the climate and briefly presents the future changes in the Mediterranean climate. The major kinetic methods used in this field in laboratory studies are then reviewed and emphases on their limitations are indicated.