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Aerosol-Based Climate Engineering

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Atmospheric Aerosols

Abstract

This chapter introduces climate engineering as a range of techniques aiming to alleviate the impacts of climate change. Two aerosol-based techniques, known as stratospheric aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening, are discussed in terms of their potential, side effects, and shortcomings. The climate’s response to aerosol-based climate engineering is assessed using the concepts of climate feedbacks and rapid adjustments. The chapter ends on the issue of the termination and other risks associated to such techniques.

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Further Reading (Textbooks and Articles)

  • Boucher O, Randall D, Artaxo P, Bretherton C, Feingold G, Forster P, Kerminen V-M, Kondo Y, Liao H, Lohmann U, Rasch P, Satheesh SK, Sherwood S, Stevens B, Zhang XY (2013) Clouds and aerosols. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner G-K, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (eds) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 571–657

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  • English, JT, Toon OB, Mills MJ (2012) Microphysical simulations of sulfur burdens from stratospheric sulfur geoengineering. Atmos Phys Chem 12:4775–4793

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Correspondence to Olivier Boucher .

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Boucher, O. (2015). Aerosol-Based Climate Engineering. In: Atmospheric Aerosols. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9649-1_13

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