Atmospheric dust is actually tempering rising global temperatures and keeps greenhouse gasses at bay, Bloomberg reports citing a joint study led by the University of California and the University of Oslo. Global temperatures are currently 1.2°C higher than 1850 levels, and on track to hit a catastrophic 1.6°C warmer, but the increase would have been a fraction higher (0.1°F to be exact) if not for an increase in global atmospheric dust.

How they figured it out: The study used satellite and ground measurements, and data gathered from ice cores, marine sediment and peat bogs to determine that the amount of dust in the atmosphere has increased by as much as 55% since the mid-1880s. They found that atmospheric dust scatters sunlights, alters cloud cover and deposits nutrients into the ocean leading to phytoplankton growth which in turn absorbs CO2.

But it’s not good news for us: Atmospheric dust above deserts — like in our neck of the woods — increases global warming because the land surfaces already reflect sunlight.

Why is this important? Changes in atmospheric dust are not currently factored into climate modeling, and the study authors say that if we want climate projections to be as accurate as possible then the possibility that dust increase may have masked up to 8% of the greenhouse warming should be taken into account.