A last-ditch global warming fix? A man-made 'volcanic' eruption
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The international panel charged with reining in climate change said this week that the world needs to take "unprecedented" steps to remake its energy, transportation and agriculture systems to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
What the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change did not discuss was an even more radical potential response — one that would re-engineer Earth’s stratosphere to create a massive heat shield by effectively duplicating the fallout that follows a volcanic eruption.
“The politics of this were impossible a few years ago. But not so much now,” said Rafe Pomerance, chairman of the environmental alliance Arctic 21 and a four-decade advocate of increased action on global warming. “If we think the problem of climate change is catastrophic, how can we say that we can’t at least consider this as an option?”
That view was seconded this week by the “grandfather” of modern climate science, by the founder of the Harvard laboratory that is a center of geoengineering research and even by scientists who have raised serious reservations about human tampering with the Earth's singular climate system.
“I think it makes sense to have a substantially larger research effort on solar geoengineering,” said David Keith, the professor of applied physics who leads Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program. Like others who have looked at the unusual alternative, Keith believes that humankind’s primary focus should be on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by cutting coal-powered energy, shifting to non-fossil-fuel burning vehicles, and many other changes.
The climate intervention most commonly discussed by researchers grows out of observations made following two very large volcanic eruptions — at El Chichon in the Mexican state of Chiapas in 1982 and at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. In both cases, sulfur dioxide gas from the volcanoes spiraled into upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere known as the stratosphere. There, the gas combined with hydrogen and produced the fine droplets or powder that scientists called “aerosols.” Those particles reflected enough sunlight back into space to cool Earth’s surface by 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Celsius (nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit). In the case of Pinatubo, the cooling lasted for about a year.
Researchers have envisioned duplicating the phenomenon by launching jets equipped to fly to 70,000 feet, the lower reaches of the stratosphere, where they would release a sulfur compound. The effort would bleach blue skies a lighter color and make sunsets more vivid, while shielding Earth from some of the sun's rays.
The flights would have to be numerous and long-running to create anything like the reflective power of the volcanic eruptions. But Keith and others believe the technical hurdles could be cleared and an aerosol “umbrella” created, at least for a time.
Without endorsing or rejecting such a project, the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 recommended more research . The Obama administration also endorsed more study.
So what are the potential drawbacks?
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As a science teacher, when teaching earth science, there is a cool way of showing the kids the cooling power of the volcanic cloud. But is creating the same effect by man, fooling too much with mother nature, or resetting the thermostat.
OMG... Will mankind never realize WE are the problem,The human species IMO: IS the most destructive species on the planet, we tend to screw up pretty much all we touch many times leaving behind an unusable wasteland sometimes to boot.
I am of the opinion mankind will trash the planet long before nature ever could or would alone.
Fixing our messes is also not our strong suite.
On a global scale, Throwing all kinds of trash into the environment may be all of our collective "strong suite" though.
On this "Theory", idea or what ever it is I have NO idea. But it sounds like a gamble at this point at the very best. Flat out insane at the worst.
Got to start addressing overpopulation
We are already WAY past that point.
Is that why the conservatives and-----------the GOP attacks Planned parenthood?
That is something I can't figure out
Previous Milestones
It took us 126 years to add one billion people, then only 30 years to add another billion and 14 years to add another. Humans are the problem.
Well, for starters, (in the US at least), you'll have to get the right to ADMIT that GW is a reality.
Hmmmmm?
Maybe my original post last night wasn't pleasing? Everything was totally wiped from last night. I guess old news to everyone.
I will restate as best as I can remember and if it is not pleasing, just delete my post and not the entire discussion.
Personally, I doubt most, if not all fully understand the ramifications of messing with Mother Nature.
Here is a graph that comes from NASA. It is not from any kind of wingnut from any direction. It's simply that horrid phrase I hate, "it is what it is".
As stated last night, let's focus on 2 areas.
1. YOUNGER DRYAS
2. 8,200 Year Cold Event
Without getting into the causes, we just need to recognize these are accepted events that actually happened.
The Younger Dryas was an Ice Age that lasted about 1,300 yrs.
Take a look at our chart from NASA. The sea levels kept rising during the Ice Age.
The 8.200 Year Cold Event, among other things detrimental to the progress of civilization, there is evidence indicating it may have arrested the earliest agricultural activities and plunged humans back into hunter-gatherer life styles.
Take a look at our chart. The sea levels continued to rise.
it will need to get really cold for a long period of time to reverse the rising seas.
Proceed with caution.
Yeah, everything was wiped, including my post from USA today clearly establishing that Katrina wasn't a class 5 hurricane and the real reason so many were lost.
I looked at the article after it was reposted.
I didn't bother reposting my comment and facts though, didn't want to waste my time.
After reading a few other areas I think some sort of a system problem occurred and the missing posts were a result of that.
very possible.....
Yeah we lost the thumbs up feature at least for a time as well.
Yeah, looked like something happened and most likely Perrie and TiG were busting their asses trying to get everything back to normal.
Been there, done that.
Looks like they succeeded in getting things fixed.
It seemed like they had it straightened out pretty quickly the problem didn't last long a few hours maybe.
That's good, and as the original posting that prompted my response is also gone the post i made would make no sense so I'll leave it alone.
Maybe Perrie and TiG can fix global warming too??
they are good, but I don't think quite that good... {chuckle}
Ya sure that volcano idea seemed kinda interesting.
lol
I don't know Lenny, even the Younger Dryas couldn't fix Global Warming.
Well, there is this one fella who made some measurement a couple years ago that caused him to say we have crossed a threshold at which point it is possible for the thermohaline circulation to stop.
If true that will lead to a real ice age.
Maybe Perrie and TiG can figure out a less drastic solution?
Makes sense.
Unfortunately, I didn't get caught up until later in the day, but yeah, looked like they got it straightened out pretty quickly.
Human created and maintained volcanos? Sure seems like an awful hassle to got through just to protect Big OIL.