Scientists Trial To ‘Cool’ The Earth Unsuccessful
Scientists have been worried for years over the increase in global warming and the effects that it is having on the Earth. They have come up with ideas on how to fix the problem by cooling off the Earth. They believe that if they were to inject the Earth’s atmosphere with sulfate particles it would cool the Earth – but they discovered that it would also deplete the ozone layer and in the end would have dramatic and dangerous effects.
But a study performed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) cautioned that more research is needed before so-called geoengineering efforts are pursued. It specifically raised the alarm over the idea of regularly sending sulfate particles into the stratosphere to reduce the Earth’s temperature. It’s one of the most discussed geoengineering proposals put forth by Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen and others.
“Our research indicates that trying to artificially cool off the planet could have perilous side effects,” Simone Tilmes, the leader of the NCAR study, said in a statement. “While climate change is a major threat, more research is required before society attempts global geoengineering solutions.”
The cooling effects of suflate particles has been observed from past volcanic eruptions. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, for example, had a measurable downward effect on temperatures. The NCAR study concluded that injecting sulfates would destroy between about a fourth and three-fourths of the ozone layer above the Arctic Ocean.
That would delay recovery of the ozone layer hole above the Arctic and thus mark a major setback for international efforts to protect the ozone layer by banning ozone-depleting chemicals. The ozone blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from coming to Earth. Other geoengineering proposals include putting a shield above Greenland to deflect the sun’s rays and stimulating large-scale plankton blooms in the ocean to sequester underwater carbon dioxide.
Academics point out the obvious challenges of these geoengineering ideas, given the complexity of the climate and the prospect of managing such global ventures among different countries.