Cloud geoengineering could help avoid climate tipping points like collapse of the Greenland ice sheet, a study has found.
But it wouldn't be all good: 🧵 @newscientist newscientist.com
But it wouldn't be all good: 🧵 @newscientist newscientist.com
Marine cloud brightening is a proposal to cool the planet by spraying seawater into clouds over the ocean. Small water droplets would condense around these tiny salt particles, making clouds brighter & reflecting more sunlight back into space theconversation.com
Scientists in Australia have already been testing water cannons to spray this mist from ships, although their goal is to cool the Great Barrier Reef rather than the entire planet theguardian.com
Past studies have looked at how geoengineering might affect West Antarctica or Greenland, but this study modeled how it could affect climate tipping points around the world agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Tipping points are sudden, self-perpetuating, possibly irreversible changes like the shutdown of the ocean current that keeps Europe warm (think Day After Tomorrow 🎥).
On our current warming trajectory of >2°C, we could trigger several science.org
On our current warming trajectory of >2°C, we could trigger several science.org
If we did enough marine cloud brightening in cloudy areas of Pacific & Atlantic to cool the globe ~1°C, we could reduce the risk of most tipping pts like collapse of ocean circulation, the Greenland & West Antarctic ice sheets, permafrost, coral reefs (see green ALL MCB circles)
BUT marine cloud brightening wouldn’t help stave off Barents Sea ice loss & would actually INCREASE the risk of collapse of glaciers in East Antarctica that sit below sea level (see pink ALL MCB circles)
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