#Richard #Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( #NOAA ), said the government-backed body was estimating the effects of some of the likely techniques for #geoengineering, including those involving the oceans.
“My own belief is that we need to get a better understanding of what the impacts are,” he said.
“I suspect some aspects of geoengineering are going to be an important component of the solution to reducing global warming, and all of the impacts of global climate change, like ocean acidification.”
Potential geoengineering techniques include #seeding the oceans with #iron to absorb more carbon dioxide,
or #spraying #water from the oceans into low-level clouds to reflect some of the sun’s radiation.
Spinrad said understanding the potential impact of geoengineering on the oceans was vital.
“If we were to undertake an effort in some things like iron fertilisation [of the oceans], what are the consequence to the ecosystem of doing that? [Also important is] building good predictive models … and supporting decision-makers,” he said.
NOAA is focusing on the potential for the oceans to #sequester #CO2, a process known as marine carbon dioxide removal.
The agency’s researchers are also working closely with universities and government scientists in the UK on the potential for the shutdown of the systems driving the Gulf Stream ocean currents.
Evidence has recently been presented that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (#Amoc ) may be rapidly weakening, over decades rather than centuries, under the impact of heating oceans and melting ice, and its #shutdown could be catastrophic for Europe and other regions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/14/geoengineering-must-be-urgently-investigated-experts-say?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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