WEEKLY SUMMARY (08 JANUARY - 14 JANUARY 2024)

[Geoengineering News]

Subscribe to the Solar Geoengineering Updates Newsletter here: https://solargeoengineeringupdates.substack.com/ WEEKLY SUMMARY (08 JANUARY - 14 JANUARY 2024) Links to recent scientific papers, web posts, upcoming events, job opportunities, podcasts, and event recordings, etc. on Solar Radiation Management Technology. RESEARCH PAPERS Like diamonds in the sky? Public perceptions, governance, and information framing of solar geoengineering activities in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States Chad M. Baum, Livia Fritz, Sean Low & Benjamin K. Sovacool (2024) Like diamonds in the sky? Public perceptions, governance, and information framing of solar geoengineering activities in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Environmental Politics. Abstract Solar geoengineering (also known as solar radiation modification) is garnering more attention (and controversy) among media and policymakers in response to the impacts of climate change. Such debates have become more prominent following the first-ever field trials of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) in 2022. How the lay public perceives solar geoengineering remains unclear, however. We use nationally representative samples (N = 3013) in Mexico, United States, and United Kingdom to examine public perceptions of risks and benefits, support, and policy preferences. We also employ an information-framing design that presented individuals with media-style reports on SAI activities differing along three dimensions: location, actor, and scale and purpose. Support for SAI is found to be generally higher in Mexico; perceptions of risks and benefits do not differ between countries. Information about SAI activities has a limited effect. There is evidence that activities conducted by universities receive more support than those by start-up companies. Diurnal Patterns in the Observed Cloud Liquid Water Path Response to Droplet Number Perturbations Smalley, K. M., Lebsock, M., & Eastman, R. (2023). Diurnal Patterns in the Observed Cloud Liquid Water Path Response to Droplet Number Perturbations. Authorea Preprints. Abstract A key uncertainty in Aerosol-cloud interactions is the cloud liquid water path (LWP) response to increased aerosols (λ). LWP can either increase due to precipitation suppression or decrease due to entrainment-drying. Previous research suggests that precipitation suppression dominates in thick clouds, while entrainment-drying prevails in thin clouds. The time scales of the two competing effects are vastly different, requiring temporally resolved observations. We analyze 3-day Lagrangian trajectories of stratocumulus clouds over the southeast Pacific using geostationary data. We find that clouds with a LWP exceeding 200 g m-2 exhibit a positive response, while clouds with lower LWP show a negative response. We observe a significant diurnal cycle in λ, indicating a more strongly negative daytime adjustment driven by entrainment-drying. In contrast, at night, precipitation suppression can occasionally fully counteract the entrainment-drying mechanism. The time-integrated adjustment appears weaker than previously suggested in studies that do not account for the diurnal cycle. Projected future changes in extreme precipitation over China under stratospheric aerosol intervention Wang, O., Liang, J., Gu, Y., Haywood, J. M., Chen, Y., Fang, C., & Wang, Q. (2024). Projected future changes in extreme precipitation over China under stratospheric aerosol intervention. EGUsphere, 2024, 1-32. Abstract Extreme precipitation events are linked to severe economic losses and casualties in China every year; hence, exploring the potential mitigation strategies to minimize these events and their changes in frequency and intensity under global warming is of importance, particularly for the populous subregions. In addition to global warming scenarios, this study examines the effects of the potential deployment of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) on hydrological extremes in China based on the SAI simulations (G6sulfur) of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) from UKESM1 (The UK Earth System Model) simulations. The simulated SAI deployment is compared with simulations of the future climate under two different emission scenarios (SSP5-8.5 and SSP2-4.5) and reduction in the solar constant (G6solar) to understand the effect of SAI on extreme precipitation patterns. The results show that, under future global warming scenarios, precipitation and extreme wet climate events are projected to increase by 2100 relative to the present day across all the subregions in China. Additionally, analyses of extreme drought events show a projected increase in southern China. The G6sulfur and G6solar experiments ameliorate the increases in extreme rainfall intensities, especially for the eastern subregions of China. The impacts of SAI in decreasing extreme precipitation events and in consecutive wet days are more pronounced than in G6solar. While the results from both G6sulfur and G6solar show encouraging abatement of many of the impacts on detrimental extreme events that are evident in SSP5-8.5 there are some exceptions. Both G6sulfur and G6solar show drying trendsat high latitudes within the region, which is consistent with our understanding of the spin-down of the hydrological cycle under SRM. For instance, the projected dry days increase for G6sulfur compared to SSP5-8.5. These side effects imply that a cautionary approach and further optimization may be required should any future SRM deployment be considered. PROJECT Conditions for Responsible Research of SRM – Analysis, Co-Creation, and Ethos (Co-CREATE) REPORTS Frozen Arctic—Horizon scan of interventions to slow down, halt, and reverse the effects of climate change in the Arctic and northern regions: A UArctic Rapid Response Assessment Partially counteracting climate change in the short to medium term: options globally and for Switzerland WEB POSTS Can $500 Million Save This Glacier? (The New York Times Magazine) Aria plan reignites geoengineering controversy (Research Professional News) Saving the Frozen Arctic – A new assessment evaluates potential climate action measures and their feasibility (UArctic) Permitting for mCDR and mSRM (EPA.GOV) JOB OPPORTUNITY Postdoctoral scholar or researcher on climate intervention by seeding polar mixed-phase clouds at University of California | Los Angeles “The Aerosol-Climate Interactions Group – UCLA are seeking a talented and driven postdoctoral scholar or researcher to join our multidisciplinary team seeking to determine whether seeding wintertime polar mixedphase clouds could be a viable climate intervention technique. This recently proposed technique, termed mixed-phase cloud thinning (MCT), could potentially produce substantial wintertime cooling of the polar regions, thereby mitigating the impacts of global warming on these sensitive regions. Moreover, MCT could have fewer negative side effects than more established climate intervention techniques.” PODCASTS C2GTalk: Why does the world now need to consider solar radiation modification? with Kim Stanley Robinson | Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) “Many objections to solar radiation modification (SRM)--such as the fear it could undermine other forms of climate action--have been overtaken by events, says The Ministry of the Future author Kim Stanley Robinson in this C2GTalk. The world is in a growing crisis, and cutting and removing emissions is taking too long. It’s time to learn whether SRM can help, and how to govern it. Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. His books include the best-selling Mars trilogy, Red Moon, New York 2140, and The Ministry for the Future. He was part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers’ Program in 1995 and 2016, and a featured speaker at COP-26 in Glasgow, as a guest of the UK government and the UN.” YOUTUBE VIDEOS No 1.5 Without Intervention | Climate Emergency Forum “The Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge (CCRC) and the Climate Emergency Forum (CEF) present a panel discussion at COP28 in Dubai, UAE on the topic of "No 1.5 Without Intervention." This video was recorded on December 10th, 2023 at COP28 in Dubai, UAE, and published on January 11th, 2024. Charles Gregoire who is co-producer of the Climate Emergency Forum along with Heidi Brault, introduces the event. He emphasizes that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius requires interventions beyond emissions reduction.  Professor Hugh Hunt discusses the SPICE project, investigating stratospheric aerosol injection for solar radiation management (SRM) as well as marine cloud brightening. He emphasizes the importance of research in understanding the risks and benefits of these interventions to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change. Dr. James Hansen, via video recording, highlights the urgency of addressing climate change, emphasizing the need for intervention due to the already surpassed 1.5-degree threshold. Anni Pokela, a project manager at Operaatio Arktis, emphasizes the severity of the Arctic climate catastrophe and the irreversible damage, even with rapid emissions cuts. She introduces the concept of climate repair, advocating for additional interventions beyond emissions reduction, acknowledging potential risks but stressing the need for research.” COP28 Debrief to Healthy Planet Action Coalition | Robbie Tulip “Viktor Jaakkola of Operaatio Arktis and Hugh Hunt of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair discussing their experiences and impressions of COP28.  Viktor Jaakkola has been working full-time in Operaatio Arktis for the last year and a half. Operaatio Arktis is a youth-led science communication project based in Helsinki, with a special focus on Arctic sea ice preservation and climate interventions that could help stabilize the climate situation in the Arctic.  Education-wise Viktor has a couple of years of Environmental Economics studies under his belt, but those studies are on break for now. Professor Hugh Hunt is Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Repair. He is Professor of Dynamics and Vibrations in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He has been a lecturer here since 1989, shortly after obtaining his PhD in Engineering from Cambridge. He is also a College Lecturer and Director of Studies in Engineering at Trinity College. His principal research interest is in albedo enhancement for climate intervention - "how can we refreeze the Arctic?" Within the Centre for Climate Repair he is most interested in the engineering aspects of Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). Other interests include railway noise and vibration, gyroscopes and boomerangs, wave power, renewable energy, tower clocks and the vibration of bell towers.” DEADLINES Call for Papers: Special Collection-Towards a Risk-Risk-Assessment of Solar Radiation Modification | Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 The Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund (CIEIF) announced another round of three grants for the first half of 2024 with increased award amounts of $65,000 each | Application Deadline: 01 June 2024