Considering intentional stratospheric dehydration for climate benefits
Joshua P Schwarz1, Ru-Shan Gao1, Troy D Thornberry1
1NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA.
Science Advances
|February 28, 2024
Summary
This study proposes intentional stratospheric dehydration (ISD) by injecting ice-nucleating particles to reduce stratospheric water vapor (WV) and enhance outgoing longwave radiation for climate intervention.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Climate Intervention
Background:
- Stratospheric water vapor (WV) influences Earth's radiative balance.
- Controlling stratospheric WV is a potential climate intervention strategy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel climate intervention strategy: intentional stratospheric dehydration (ISD).
- To explore the mechanism of targeted ice-nucleating particle (INP) injection for reducing stratospheric WV.
Main Methods:
- Focuses on the mechanism of targeted INP injection in supersaturated air near the tropopause.
- Utilizes recent airborne in situ data to assess the feasibility of WV removal.
Main Results:
- Targeted INP injection can sufficiently remove water to decrease stratospheric WV.
- The ISD strategy acts on different timescales and risk profiles compared to other interventions.
Conclusions:
- Intentional stratospheric dehydration is a plausible climate intervention.
- Further research is needed to address technical hurdles and potential side effects.
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