Published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group — including Jessica Hellmann from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment — explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology.
Published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group — including Jessica Hellmann from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment — explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology.
Composed of climate scientists and ecologists from leading research universities internationally, the team found that more research is needed to understand the ecological impacts of solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies that reflect small amounts of sunlight back into space. The team focused on a specific proposed SRM strategy — referred to as stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI)) — to create a sulfate aerosol cloud in the stratosphere to reduce a portion of incoming sunlight and radiation. In theory, this cloud could be controlled in size and location.
SAI is like placing tiny reflective particles in the atmosphere to bounce a portion of the solar radiation back to space, so that some of the radiation does not reach — and warm — Earth.
The team emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions reduction and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions must be the priority.
Read more at University of Minnesota
Photo Credit: Ana_J via Pixabay
