Dimming the sun by engineering the effects of an artificial volcano is a feasible and potentially cost-effective option to reduce temperatures on Earth, the first major study of the practicality of planetary-scale solar radiation management (SRM) concludes.The authors, US aerospace company Aurora Flight Sciences, consider the challenge of lifting and releasing 1-5m tonnes a year of sulphur dioxide to altitudes approaching 100,000ft. This would create sulphate particles in the thin air and provide a partial shade to the sun’s rays, potentially reducing temperatures 1-2C. But no attempt is made to quantify the potential benefits or the risks involved in the likely disruption of weather patterns on earth.

The study, commissioned by the University of Calgary in Canada, was published 15 months ago but has received little attention so far. However, it shows how advanced SRM advocates are in their attempts to persuade governments to license large-scale experiments.

read here

Related articles

• Volcanoes Indicted for Europe’s Long, Big Chill – Richard A. Kerr – Science – AAAS (richarddawkins.net)
• Volcanoes, rather than a quiet Sun, may have triggered the Little Ice Age (arstechnica.com)
• Geoengineering: More to it than simply blocking the sun (junkscience.com)