Artificial climate control might become ineffective
Regional cloud brightening stops cooling, computer models show
One regional geoengineering proposal for alleviating the extreme heat effects of global warming, the brightening of marine clouds to reflect more solar energy to space over different limited areas, could work in present-day conditions but may become ineffective in the future, according to new research.
The problem is that if the warming of the planet continues at its current pace, this geoengineering strategy not only stops working in computer simulations, but it could actually start increasing heat stress instead of relieving it. The study, published last week in the journal Nature Climate Change, is the first to demonstrate the potential diminishment and even reversal of benefits of a regional cloud brightening strategy as climate conditions change.
For more, see UCAR News.
About the paper
Title: “Diminished efficacy of regional marine cloud brightening in a warmer world”
Authors: Jessica S. Wan, Chih-Chieh Jack Chen, Simone Tilmes, Matthew T. Luongo, Jadwiga H. Richter, and Katharine Ricke
Journal: Nature Climate Change
