A Perspective explores the possible ecological effects of a climate intervention called stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI). SAI is a potentially feasible strategy that involves injecting gaseous precursors of reflective sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere to prevent some incoming sunlight from reaching Earth's surface. Relatively little is known about the potential impact of this approach on species and ecosystems. Janet Franklin and colleagues summarize preliminary research and current knowledge gaps in this topic. The authors note that SAI might relieve some of the worst consequences of human-caused climate change when combined with reduction of carbon emissions but carries risks of its own. SAI is likely to affect multiple environmental factors, including humidity, precipitation and storm patterns, the ratio of direct to diffuse light, air quality, and ozone levels. These factors could interact in complex and unpredictable ways to affect biogeochemical processes, organisms, and ecosystems. Moreover, the impact of SAI would likely vary depending on the species, ecosystem, geographic region, and implementation strategy. According to the authors, ecologists and climate scientists should collaborate to identify the potential ecological effects of SAI, thereby informing decisions regarding implementation of this climate-intervention strategy.
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Article #19-21854: "Potential ecological impacts of climate intervention by reflecting sunlight to cool Earth," by Phoebe Zarnetske et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Janet Franklin, University of California, Riverside, CA; tel: 951-827-4619; email: < jfrankl@ucr.edu >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences