Could geoengineering stop heat waves?
July 16, 2012 | Source: Scientific American
Mount Pinatubo eruption (credit: U.S. Geological Survey/Wikimedia Commons)
When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the injection of sulfur particles into the atmosphere cooled the planet.
Taking inspiration from nature, some scientists have begun studying whether a man-made injection of such sulfate aerosols might stave off the worst of global warming. But could the technology also be used more locally to beat the heat?
That’s the question explored by three UCLA scientists in a manuscript submitted (pdf) to the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The scientists ran a computer model to determine whether putting particles 12-kilometers up could cool the Golden State (pdf) under such conditions.
The answer appears to be yes. Afternoon temperatures declined significantly in conjunction with the amount of particles boosted to the stratosphere.
It’s unclear how exactly the sulfate aerosols would get to the stratosphere absent a volcanic eruption. There would be effects downwind in the desert Southwest, including potentially even less rain. And the sulfates might eat away at the protective ozone layer.
So the researchers suggest that we might want to forestall worse heat waves in the future a different way — by cutting back on the greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming.
Comments (7)
by Harris
There is a huge segment about this in the book superfreakonomics. Anyone who wants to look into this more should read it it’s very interesting.
by Chrispium
There used to be sulfur in our gasoline and diesel. We removed it 30 years ago because it caused acidrain. All sulfur that goes up comes down again. Suggesting adding it to the atmosphere again is a sign of a short memory or a bad education.
by Bri
I think we should spend more time understanding Natural variations, and stop tinkering! But then again, there is no way to make money out of that. If the sulfur doesn’t work out, they can sell us the next snake oil! I used to think they were just morons, now after seeing Thrive.com, I know they want us to pay for it, in innumerable ways. There is nothing for them to fear, they’ve got all the money, they can afford the best! Ever notice Cher looks the same for thirty years!. Joe Papps noble gas engine really does work! It’s the same vortex free energy tech that’s described in Thrive.Com. No car exhaust! No gas! Once it’s charged it can run till it wears out! We wouldn’t even have green house gasses! It’s a simple concept. Similar to a regular generator! Watch the thrive video, and then the Joe Papps engine video! Joe’s engine taps a noble gas vortex. Just like in the thrive video! There will come a time when you will be able to “print” this engine! It’s not complicated! The Thrive video proves it was not a fraud! No greenhouse gasses! No gas lines! No oil speculation! They are killing us on purpose! They know what they are doing. Electric cars could of happened years ago, but they suppress them! This engine would work in space! It doesn’t need air! No lithium batteries! Cars would be light weight! The one in the video, that was used to demonstrate it to detroit, produced 500 ft pounds of torque, from two cylinders! Think of drag racers smoking thier tires. Muscle cars produce that kind of force! Watch the thrive video! Anyone could own a car that doesn’t need fuel! I suspected that the engine was real, because of the Caltech demo in front of Richard Feyman. If it was a hoax, Joe would have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Instead, Caltech payed him! Those responsible must feel like Mubarack. Too many people are learning the truth. In Rays book SN, he talks about the gene that regulates fat storage. He said drugs were in the pipeline to switch off that gene. In mice studies, the mice didn’t get heart ceases, or fat, or diabetic. Think of all the money they would lose if they didn’t need all those expensive treatments. It works great in mice, but you want to bet, we won’t see it any time too soon! Watch the Thrive.com video. Thier days are numbered! Us standard military tactics. Cut off the head, dismember the body! They are destroying anything that undermines thier power base, making us live lives of despair! No gas shortages, no blackouts, no smog. It would all ready be our reality, but they would lose trillions of dollars. Since they are in a position of control, they keep suppressing it, but like a hydra it keeps coming back. They have tried real hard, but the truth keeps coming out. The most expensive part of plane flight, is the gas. Cheap fast travel, possibly as fast as a UFO.You Gotta watch the video.
by Turk
Was it the show Sea Quest that had the huge industrial co2 scrubber complexes all over the world? Pretty epic stuff
by Dan Robinson
“Geoengineering” should mean any engineering expected have global affect, not just the foolish short-term solutions such as adding more pollutant to the air while ignoring the basic problem of CO2, therefore requiring ever more pollution in a soon-to-decline economy..
by George
These people are nuts… They have been spray aerosols on us since 1997….its called chemtrails
by Turk
You can also cool a greenhouse by breaking the glass …