Now everyone knows how anthropogenic climate change affects the life of the entire planet. Or at least he should know. Although scientists are still arguing about the mechanisms of global warming and their influence, the facts already presented indicate the involvement of humans in a process that changes the environment.
And one of the most visible effects of climate change is hurricanes.
Unfortunately, prevention alone is not enough here, because significant damage is done to nature. People need to stop destructive actions and make amends.
Fortunately, scientists are already looking for a solution.
In an effort to prevent further climate change, an international team of scientists is working on a plan to truly rebuild the Earth to cool it down and reduce the number of hurricanes.
For example, a team led by the head of China's geoengineering research program, John Moore, is studying how sulphate aerosol spraying into the stratosphere can help lower the planet's temperature and reduce the likelihood of storms. In an interview with Popular Mechanics, explaining how the plan worked, Moore said, “This is comparable to the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. It will be necessary to spray 5 billion tons of sulfates into the atmosphere at a 20-kilometer altitude annually, and this will be done for 50 years."
The research text was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Scientists have simulated a situation in which the dose of sprayed sulfates would be doubled over time, and they concluded that the number of hurricanes like Katrina will remain at the current level, and the number of storm surges (leading to flooding of water rise) will be halved.
The researchers note that the eruption of the Katmai volcano in Alaska in 1912 "filled the Northern Hemisphere with sulfate aerosol, and the activity of hurricanes was minimal." Briefly, Moore explained that warm waters create storms and give them strength, and that cooling the waters with sulfates will reduce the size of hurricanes and their power. He also claims that this is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the intensity of destruction associated with storms: “Perhaps this is the most realistic geoengineering scenario. Spraying this amount of sulphate can be easily handled by airplanes.”
The problem is that such work will destroy the Earth's atmosphere.
But an alternative to them can be specially created aerosol particles that reflect sunlight and are not harmful to the ozone layer. Researchers are only at the beginning, but with proper funding for the work of scientists in the future, people will find a way to prevent devastating hurricanes like Irma.
Anton Komarov