News Release
November 08, 2017 
RICHLAND, Wash. - Using a sophisticated computer model, scientists have demonstrated that a new research approach to geoengineering could potentially be used to limit Earth's warming while reducing some of the risks and concerns identified in past studies, including uneven cooling of the globe.
In theory, geoengineering - large-scale interventions designed to modify the climate - could take many forms. For this research, the team developed a specialized algorithm for an Earth system model that varies the amount and location of sulfur dioxide injections high into the atmosphere. These would, in theory, be needed, year to year, to effectively cap warming.
Ben Kravitz, a scientist at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab, is a lead author of the series of papers published in a special issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Other authors include scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Cornell University.
The scientists say there are many questions that need to be answered. The possibility of a global geoengineering effort to combat warming also raises serious governance and ethical concerns.
"For decision makers to accurately weigh the pros and cons of geoengineering against those of human-caused climate change, they need more information," said Kravitz. "Our goal is to better understand what geoengineering can do - and what it cannot."
The work was funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Plans Agency and the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor. For more information, see the NCAR news release and animation.
Tags: Environment, Fundamental Science, Climate Science, Atmospheric Science, Aerosols, Meteorology, Chemistry
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed and operated by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
