India, June 19 -- A new study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, has found that only a small fraction of monsoon cloud droplets contains black carbon particles, providing important clues about how air pollution interacts with clouds and rainfall systems over India. Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is produced from the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, biomass and other fuels. It is one of the most climate-warming components of air pollution and can influence cloud formation, rainfall patterns and regional climate.

The study - authored by Arya Pisharody, Sachin Patade, Mercy Varghese, Josin Sanal Thomas, Neelam Malap and Thara Prabhakaran of IITM Pune; published in the journal Atmospheric En...