Harvard professor David Keith appears to be taking the lead in controversial geoengineering projects.
Geoengineering consists of large-scale manipulation of an environmental process that affects the earth's climate, in an attempt to counteract the effects of global warming.
Keith helped launch Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program and plans to start experiments as soon as 2018.
Experiments such as stratospheric injection, entail launching balloons into stratosphere and spraying particles that would help reflect heat back into space. In hopes to offset long term rising temperatures, and the affects of climate change.
Keith and fellow Harvard professor Keutsch plan to use stratospheric injections to spray small amounts of materials, possibly including yet not limited to: Sulfur dioxide, alumina, or calcium carbonate into the stratosphere. They then will measure the reflectivity of the particles, the degree to which they disperse, and how the materials interact with other compounds using censors on the balloons in order to gauge how exactly stratospheric injection works.
Introducing sulfuric acid however can decrease the ozone, which has been proven to lead to increased risk of eye damage, and skin cancer. Putting in mind these risks during extensive research into stratospheric chemistry, the Harvard team found that calcite, a constituent of limestone, could counter ozone, while also reflecting light and reducing the planet's temperature.
Large scale projects that alter rainfall and temperature could also have dangerous affects on the World's population however, altering the 'natural' state of the climate. Possibly increasing risk of drought and flood which could affect nearly 3 billion people.
This will be one of the largest geoengineering initiatives to date. The affects of geoengineering still aren't 100% clear, but as said by Keith 'That's the purpose of research.'
The research team also deeply emphasize though, that even if all the risks could be reduced to acceptable levels, solar geoengineering is not a solution to climate change.
Geoengineering consists of large-scale manipulation of an environmental process that affects the earth's climate, in an attempt to counteract the effects of global warming.
Keith helped launch Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program and plans to start experiments as soon as 2018.
Experiments such as stratospheric injection, entail launching balloons into stratosphere and spraying particles that would help reflect heat back into space. In hopes to offset long term rising temperatures, and the affects of climate change.
Keith and fellow Harvard professor Keutsch plan to use stratospheric injections to spray small amounts of materials, possibly including yet not limited to: Sulfur dioxide, alumina, or calcium carbonate into the stratosphere. They then will measure the reflectivity of the particles, the degree to which they disperse, and how the materials interact with other compounds using censors on the balloons in order to gauge how exactly stratospheric injection works.
Introducing sulfuric acid however can decrease the ozone, which has been proven to lead to increased risk of eye damage, and skin cancer. Putting in mind these risks during extensive research into stratospheric chemistry, the Harvard team found that calcite, a constituent of limestone, could counter ozone, while also reflecting light and reducing the planet's temperature.
Large scale projects that alter rainfall and temperature could also have dangerous affects on the World's population however, altering the 'natural' state of the climate. Possibly increasing risk of drought and flood which could affect nearly 3 billion people.
This will be one of the largest geoengineering initiatives to date. The affects of geoengineering still aren't 100% clear, but as said by Keith 'That's the purpose of research.'
The research team also deeply emphasize though, that even if all the risks could be reduced to acceptable levels, solar geoengineering is not a solution to climate change.
Written by: Ross