Long time lag in heavily polluted regions as improvement in air quality warms climate

Scientists have revised previous assumptions about the influence of pollutant particles, known as aerosols, on global warming. Using satellite data, researchers have shown that the relationship between water droplets in clouds and aerosol concentration is more non-linear than previously thought. Specifically, in heavily polluted regions, the additional warming of the Earth resulting from better air quality could occur much later than originally believed -- perhaps as much as 20 or 30 years later than expected.