Wildfires May Slow Artic Warming

Wildfires are nothing to celebrate, however a recent study indicates the smoke from the North American fires may briefly slow the rate temperatures rise in the arctic. The smoke has a cooling effect by creating a buffer layer of aerosols that reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the earth's surface. Researchers believe the effect could last into the fall, which means the effects of greenhouse gases are curbed for right now.

Even though nobody wants to have their lungs filled with smoke or have forest and property damaged, the wildfires have something positive going for them. If only every disaster had a silver lining, or in this case a black billowing lining.

(Originally reported by National Geographic.)