Jake Highleyman’s Comps Presentation

Climate Engineering With Stratospheric Aerosols

Climate engineering is the deliberate attempt to cool the planet to avoid the worst effects of global warming. The most common proposal involves introducing a layer of reflective aerosol particles, usually made of sulfates, into the upper atmosphere. These particles would increase the reflectiveness of the atmosphere and cause the earth to absorb less sunlight. This paper discusses the physics of aerosol-based climate engineering, including Earth’s energy budget and the radiation-scattering process. Models have shown that this technique could significantly offset the warming force due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases. However, there are numerous uncertainties and side-effects that complicate the outcome of the climate. Much more research is needed before an option as drastic as climate engineering could be legitimately considered.