A stratospheric hose for solar radiation management

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302602894X?via%3Dihub

Authors: Roderick A. Hyde

11 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111872

Highlights

•A hose can be used to deliver aerosols to the stratosphere for use in solar radiation management.

•Multiple hoses (each delivering 100,000 tons/yr of H2S) offset global warming temperature rises 

•Two variants: High pressure hoses for liquid H2S. Wider, low pressure, hoses for gaseous H2S.

•Hoses are held up by multiple, 20 m diameter, balloons.

•Wind forces are dealt with by streamlining the hose and balloons.

Abstract

Erection of a high-altitude hose offers an affordable and near-term approach to deliver sulfur-bearing aerosols to the stratosphere, in order to combat global warming via solar radiation management (SRM). In this paper, we discuss the design of a hose, extending to an altitude of 20 km, and sized to deliver 100 ktons of sulfur (as H2S) per year. Because the hose operates continuously, it only has to deliver about 3.5 liters/sec, little more than a garden hose. The flux from a single hose is not sufficient to stop global warming by itself, but is enough to test the effect of the aerosols, and, once replicated to about 20 sites across the planet, can be used to offset the global warming caused by atmospheric CO2.

The hose is held in place by a suite of balloons, which may either all be located at its top, or may be distributed along the hose as well. Wind will deflect, and can collapse, the hose; its effects are dealt with by streamlining both the balloons and the hose. Two varieties of hose are presented here, one delivering H2S as a liquid, and the other in gaseous form. A hose delivering liquid H2S requires high pressure, necessitating either high-strength fiber-wrapped walls, or use of multiple pumps placed along the hose. A hose delivering gaseous H2S must be much wider than one delivering liquid, so will suffer even more from the effects of wind; fielding it requires a large, yet lightweight, aero-shroud.

Source: ScienceDirect