The climate and environmental impacts of agriculture are complicated. A new study performed in Finland and led by Dr. Lubna Dada from the Paul Scherrer Institute has shown that vapours such as ammonia and amines emitted from farmland can go on to form new particles in the atmosphere much more efficiently than previously thought. The intense production of aerosol particles, combined with improved agricultural practices that enhance the capability of the soil to absorb carbon, could change how we think about the role of agriculture as solely causing warming effects to our planet.
A follow up study is currently ongoing using ACTRIS observations from the Payerne station, which is ideally situated to capture emissions from rural activities in the Swiss Midlands. You can read more about it in this press release from the Paul Scherrer Institute.