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Why do we need marine cloud brightening?
The central idea underlying marine cloud brightening is to add aerosols to atmospheric locations where clouds form. These would then act as cloud condensation nuclei, increasing the cloud albedo. The leading possible source of additional cloud condensation nuclei is salt from seawater, although there are others.
How do clouds affect global warming?
Clouds play an important role in both warming and cooling our planet. Clouds give us a cooler climate on Earth than we would enjoy without clouds. But it’s a bit complicated: Clouds can both cool down and warm up the temperatures on Earth. Clouds can block light and heat from the Sun, making Earth’s temperature cooler.
How can global warming be slowed down?
While we cannot stop global warming overnight, or even over the next several decades, we can slow the rate and limit the amount of global warming by reducing human emissions of heat-trapping gases and soot (“black carbon”). Once this excess heat radiated out to space, Earth’s temperature would stabilize.
How does cloud brightening work?
How do you brighten clouds? A specially-designed seawater sprayer, which works a bit like a snow-making machine, uses surrounding seawater to generate hundreds of trillions of microscopic sea salt crystals. These crystals float into the sky to form a fog and bolster the existing clouds’ reflectivity.
Who invented marine cloud brightening?
Marine cloud brightening (MCB), one of several solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering ideas involving the production of a global cooling to compensate for the warming associated with continuing fossil fuel burning, was first postulated by Latham [1,2].
How can we see global warming?
Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.
Why are the clouds so low?
Most of the time this is because there is insufficient heating/lifting or moisture to cause deeper (taller) cloud development. These clouds are too thin to produce rain, lightning, or waterspouts.
What is cloud brightening geoengineering?
cloud whitening, also called cloud brightening or marine cloud brightening, untested geoengineering technique designed to increase the reflectance of Earth’s cloud cover to reduce the amount of incoming solar radiation striking Earth’s surface.