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Cited by 330Climate Change and GeoengineeringAtmospheric aerosols and cloudsAtmospheric chemistry and aerosols

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 72 of the 72 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

An overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols

Rasch, Philip J, Tilmes, Simone, Turco, Richard P, Robock, Alan, Oman, Luke, Chen, Chih-Chieh (Jack), Stenchikov, Georgiy L, Garcia, Rolando R·2008·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rsta.2008.0131
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Abstract

We provide an overview of geoengineering by stratospheric sulphate aerosols. The state of understanding about this topic as of early 2008 is reviewed, summarizing the past 30 years of work in the area, highlighting some very recent studies using climate models, and discussing methods used to deliver sulphur species to the stratosphere. The studies reviewed here suggest that sulphate aerosols can counteract the globally averaged temperature increase associated with increasing greenhouse gases, and reduce changes to some other components of the Earth system. There are likely to be remaining regional climate changes after geoengineering, with some regions experiencing significant changes in temperature or precipitation. The aerosols also serve as surfaces for heterogeneous chemistry resulting in increased ozone depletion. The delivery of sulphur species to the stratosphere in a way that will produce particles of the right size is shown to be a complex and potentially very difficult task. Two simple delivery scenarios are explored, but similar exercises will be needed for other suggested delivery mechanisms. While the introduction of the geoengineering source of sulphate aerosol will perturb the sulphur cycle of the stratosphere signicantly, it is a small perturbation to the total (stratosphere and troposphere) sulphur cycle. The geoengineering source would thus be a small contributor to the total global source of ‘acid rain’ that could be compensated for through improved pollution control of anthropogenic tropospheric sources. Some areas of research remain unexplored. Although ozone may be depleted, with a consequent increase to solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) energy reaching the surface and a potential impact on health and biological populations, the aerosols will also scatter and attenuate this part of the energy spectrum, and this may compensate the UVB enhancement associated with ozone depletion. The aerosol will also change the ratio of diffuse to direct energy reaching the surface, and this may influence ecosystems. The impact of geoengineering on these components of the Earth system has not yet been studied. Representations for the formation, evolution and removal of aerosol and distribution of particle size are still very crude, and more work will be needed to gain confidence in our understanding of the deliberate production of this class of aerosols and their role in the climate system.

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Crossref · 10.1098/rsta.2008.0131

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. NAS92 Panel on Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming Committee on Science Engineering and Public Policy: policy implications of greenhouse warming: mitigation adaptation and the science base. 1992 Washington DC:National Academy Press.
  2. 10.1080/00963402.2008.11461140 · DOI
  3. Seinfeld J.H& Pandis S.N Atmospheric chemistry and physics. 1997 New York NY:Wiley.
  4. SPARC 2006 Assessment of stratospheric aerosol properties (ASAP). Technical report WCRP-124/WMO/TD-No. 1295/SPARC report no. 4 SPARC Toronto Ontario CA pp. 322.
  5. Turco R. P. 1995 Global environmental engineering: prospects and pitfalls ch. 7 pp. 93–113. Sudbury MA: Jones and Bartlett.

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Metadata

Authors
Rasch, P. J., Tilmes, S., Turco, R. P., Robock, A., Oman, L., Chen, C.-C. (., Stenchikov, G. L., & Garcia, R. R.
Affiliations
  • NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • National Center for Atmospheric ResearchPO Box 3000-80307, Boulder, CO 80307, USA
Corresponding author
Rasch, Philip J
ORCID
Venue
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
2008-08-29
Volume
366
Issue
1882
Pages
4007-4037
ISSN
  • 1364-503X (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-2962
DOI
10.1098/rsta.2008.0131
OpenAlex
W2118726619
Cited by
326
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 21
FWCI
1.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Geoengineering
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Keywords
solar geoengineering, sulphur cycle, climate change mitigation, global warming, ozone depletion, UV-B radiation, acid rain, aerosol particle size, regional climate impacts, precipitation change
MeSH terms
Aerosols, Atmosphere, Climate, Conservation of Natural Resources, Disasters, Engineering, Sulfates, Greenhouse Effect, Ecosystem

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