Reflecting Sunlight potential for cooling the Earth’s Ecosystem

Context

Researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology.

About the study

• The team focused on a specific proposed solar radiation modification (SRM) strategy.

Solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies

• The solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies is said to reflect small amounts of sunlight back into space.
• It is a type of geo-engineering method to manipulate the earth atmosphere.
• Under the study, the stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI) method was used.

Stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI)

• SAI involves placing the tiny reflective particles in the atmosphere that bounce a portion of the solar radiation back to space, so that some of the radiation does not reach and warm the Earth.
  
• It is an intervention for creating a sulfate aerosol cloud in the stratosphere that reduces a portion of incoming sunlight and radiation.
• This cloud could be controlled in size and location.

Outcomes of Study

• The team tried to find the potential of the study with respect to that of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
• The complexity of cascading relationships between ecosystems and climate under SAI means that SAI is not a simple thermostat which turns down the heat a couple of degrees.
• Other potential effects of SAI may include shifts in rainfall and increases in surface UV rays.
• SAI might cool an overheated Earth but it would not be able to counter all of the effects of rising atmospheric CO2, such as halting ocean acidification.
• It could be helpful for the international community to consider solar geoengineering as a method to alter the impacts of climate.