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Salon
Salon
Science
Nealan Gerrebos

Here's why 'brown carbon' is so bad

Smoke from Southern California wildfires drifts through the L.A. Basin, obscuring downtown skyscrapers in a view from a closed Griffith Observatory on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Wildfires are a major source of air pollution. They are also predicted to worsen as climate change progresses.

Within the smoke particles produced by these fires is a wide range of organic chemical compounds known as "brown carbon." Brown carbon absorbs sunlight, and in doing so, contributes to global warming.

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