Carbon dioxide may be the cause of global warming, but sticky sulphur-based gases could be the solution. Researchers at the University of Calgary are testing the waters.  •  “We know that carbon dioxide acts as an accelerator in this system. And the hypothesis is that sulphate could be the brakes,” says Ann-Lise Norman, an atmospheric scientist in the Faculty of Science. 

Biologists have proposed that phytoplankton in the earth’s oceans may help cool the earth by promoting the formation of sulphate in the air. But scientists have been unable to test the theory because sulphur occurs in very low levels in the atmosphere. Now, thanks to one of the most sensitive and sophisticated techniques for measuring sulphur compounds in the air—developed by Norman—researchers have a new tool. 

As an added benefit, the technique can tell whether the sulphur has come from living organisms or from human sources such as industrial pollution. 

“Unlike any other research technique, this one allows us to take humans out of the climate change equation,” says Michelle Seguin, a master’s student who is evaluating air samples taken over the Atlantic Ocean. Combined with Norman’s other studies, the measurements will allow scientists to see whether the gas is having an effect on temperatures. 

If it is, the research could transform our picture of how the planet maintained its own equilibrium before humans upset its balance—and point researchers towards mechanisms that could help right itself today.

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