Say What? Environment

Dome effect leaves Chinese megacities under thick haze

Soot traps pollution and worsens air quality

Shanghai

UNDER THE DOME  Atmospheric changes brought on by airborne black carbon may worsen air quality around China’s megacities, such as Shanghai (shown here).

Morgennebel/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

By Thomas Sumner

- More than 2 years ago

Dome effect dōm ih-fekt n.

Airborne black carbon, also called soot, can cause the dome effect by warming the atmosphere’s top layer and blocking sunlight that would otherwise warm the surface air.