The Unintended Consequences of Sulfate Aerosols in the
Sulfate aerosol injection is a geoengineering scheme that has been put forward in order to combat the rise in surface temperature of the Earth due to the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The build up of aerosols in the atmosphere reflects sunlight away from the Earth, as shown by large...
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| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.208.5886 http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/civil-and-environmental-engineering/1-018j-ecology-i-the-earth-system-fall-2009/projects/MIT1_018JF09_sw_paper4.pdf |
| Summary: | Sulfate aerosol injection is a geoengineering scheme that has been put forward in order to combat the rise in surface temperature of the Earth due to the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The build up of aerosols in the atmosphere reflects sunlight away from the Earth, as shown by large volcanic eruptions such as those of Mount Pinatubo and El Chichón. Both these eruptions caused a significant decrease in regional surface temperatures for several years following the eruptions; an injection of sulfate aerosols is expected to do the same. There are potential side effects of the scheme, however, such as regional precipitation changes, ozone depletion and acid rain. In addition, sulfate aerosol injection does not address continued buildup of carbon dioxide. In order to quantify the severity of the potential consequences and the effectiveness of the scheme at decreasing global surface temperatures, I have proposed an experiment involving a small-scale aerosol injection scheme. The experimental design is based on computer simulation models done by Robock et al. (2008). The goal of the experiment is to ascertain the side effects of a scheme meant to increase the amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic. Although the experiment will provide us with valuable knowledge regarding the consequences of |
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