Things we do for ourselves die with us; what we do for others lives on and on
And You Thought Your Oakley Sunglasses Were Something...
ANYONE clinging to the notion that we can wipe the slate clean of all our climate mistakes by deflecting the sun's rays with space mirrors is in for a disappointment.
Dan Lunt of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues carried out the most detailed climate-modelling study to date on the impact of a sunshade. They simulated Earth's climate under three scenarios: pre-industrial times; a future climate with atmospheric carbon dioxide at an extreme level of four times pre-industrial values; and a sunshaded geo-engineered climate with the same high CO2 levels but solar radiation reduced by 4 per cent - similar to Cambrian times, 500 million years ago.
They found that Earth under a sunshade would not simply revert to its pre-industrial climate. Instead the tropics would be cooler than pre-industrial times by 1.5 °C, while high latitudes would be warmer by 1.5 °C, leading to less sea ice - bad news for animals that fish from the ice. Average precipitation would also drop by 5 per cent, according to the model. The work will appear in Geophysical Research Letters.
The findings could be the final straw, as there are other drawbacks to building a sunshade. "It would be expensive, disastrous if the mirrors ever failed and leaves other issues un-addressed such as ocean acidification," Lunt says.
Source: http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19826584.500-ea...
I can see it now. One of those bad boys used as a "star wars" type death ray to protect the interests of our great country.
Your Patriot,
Homer
Dan Lunt of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues carried out the most detailed climate-modelling study to date on the impact of a sunshade. They simulated Earth's climate under three scenarios: pre-industrial times; a future climate with atmospheric carbon dioxide at an extreme level of four times pre-industrial values; and a sunshaded geo-engineered climate with the same high CO2 levels but solar radiation reduced by 4 per cent - similar to Cambrian times, 500 million years ago.
They found that Earth under a sunshade would not simply revert to its pre-industrial climate. Instead the tropics would be cooler than pre-industrial times by 1.5 °C, while high latitudes would be warmer by 1.5 °C, leading to less sea ice - bad news for animals that fish from the ice. Average precipitation would also drop by 5 per cent, according to the model. The work will appear in Geophysical Research Letters.
The findings could be the final straw, as there are other drawbacks to building a sunshade. "It would be expensive, disastrous if the mirrors ever failed and leaves other issues un-addressed such as ocean acidification," Lunt says.
Source: http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19826584.500-ea...
I can see it now. One of those bad boys used as a "star wars" type death ray to protect the interests of our great country.
Your Patriot,
Homer
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by We Are The World Today on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
