Scientists propose guidelines for solar geoengineering research
New paper focuses on feasibility and impacts of Earth-cooling stratospheric aerosol injection
Scientists for several years have studied the theoretical effectiveness of injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to reflect heat from the Sun and offset Earth’s warming temperatures. But they also want to ensure that the solar geoengineering approaches being studied are evaluated for their technical feasibility, as well as their cooling potential and possible ecological and societal side effects.
To guide future work, an international team of scientists led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) has published a paper with specific recommendations for evaluating proposals to inject sulfur dioxide, which is known as stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI). The paper also suggests criteria for discontinuing those scenarios that are not feasible because of scientific, technical, or societal issues.
For more, see UCAR News.
About the Paper
Title: "Research criteria towards an interdisciplinary Stratospheric Aerosol Intervention assessment"
Authors: Simone Tilmes, Karen Rosenlof, Daniele Visioni, Ewa M. Bednarz, Tyler Felgenhauer, Wake Smith, Chris Lennard, Michael S. Diamond, Matthew Henry, Cheryl Harrison, Chelsea Thompson
Journal: Oxford Open Climate Change
