h a l f b a k e r ySuperficial Intelligence
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Watching a DVD on volcanoes recently, I got to thinking about the issue of global warming and how to mitigate against it.
In our lifetimes we have seen the eruption of Mt Pintaubo and the ensuing global cooling effect, as a number of cubic kilometres of dust, ash and other ejecta poured into the upper
atmosphere.
Since this has a positive effect on global temperature, and counteracts the long term trend towards global warming, I realised we may be able to influence the global temperature through some changes in our practices.
-Getting airliners to fly slightly higher, so their exhaust outputs are emitted into the stratosphere is the first step (It's the stratosphere where volcanic ejecta has its greatest cooling effect).
-Adding, deliberately, to the "pollutants" that airliners leave behind will also help, whether that is very fine dust, or even something as simple as increasing sulphur levels in aviation fuel, to boost production of sulphur dioxide and hence sulphuric acid in the upper atmosphere.
-Catalysing some exhaust emissions, into calcium carbonate, rather than CO2, may also be of assistance.
-Increasing air travel rates for people may prove to be beneficial to the environment, long term, if these simple measures were introduced.
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I can't believe I am the first one to have figured out how to solve this global warming problem once for all. And it's so easy! |
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Everyone should make a sack of ice and scatter the same in their backyard. Daily. Unless, there is already some ice out there - skip scatterning for that day, just as you wouldn't water the lawn on a rainy day. |
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One small step for man... |
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[bigsleep], I believe there is an appreciable level of cooling even if there are no clouds, in those periods where the aftermath of volcanoes is affecting the overall albedo of the Earth. |
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[d], please explain "scatterning". It sounds like a description of a cat burying its own shit. |
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A contrail left by an airplane during daylight hours will have a cooling effect, but a contrail left at night will have a warming effect. |
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Overall, the warming effect of contrails at night is greater than the cooling effect of contrails in the daytime.........UNLESS........ |
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We restrict nightime flights and encourage daytime flights. |
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A more practical solution might be to limit the nighttime flights to altitudes where no contrails are formed, and to limit daytime flights to those altitudes where maximum contrails are formed. |
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It is well established that global warming increased significantly as more nations changed over from sooty peat burning to cleaner coal and oil burning. The reduced particulate did significantly increase the light reaching the Earth's surface. Launching large amounts of particulate (even ice crystals) into the upper atmosphere would cool the Earth. I think one of the main reasons no one has done it is because if you got it wrong you'd cause the next Ice Age. I can't imagine anyone would want to take the blame for that. "In later news, the EU has declared war on the US for indirectly burying it under hundreds of meters of snow and ice. Now if they could only find their weapons..." |
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