Can we influence the weather through geoengineering?

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Explore how current and future geoengineering technology can control the climate.

Geoengineering, according to the Oxford Geoengineering Programme, is the word used to describe the modification of weather to prevent global warming's effects on human society. Both carbon dioxide removal and solar geoengineering fall into this category.

Global warming and ocean acidification can be prevented by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Earth's stratosphere. Solar geoengineering, on the other hand, aims to return sunlight to the sun's source in space. Here are some of the geoengineering processes that have been suggested or are already in use.

It is possible to regulate the weather, but should we?

Despite being a topic of casual conversation, the weather and its shifting conditions significantly impact the lives of individuals, specific regions, and the entire planet. Some countries are plagued by long-term droughts, while others are always at risk of being flooded by torrential rains. While the severity of severe weather varies widely from country to country, the United Nations reports that one trend in climate is universal: global temperatures are continuously rising.

Scientists are uncovering new techniques to manipulate the weather as contemporary technology and our understanding of meteorological systems progress. Some programs aim to make the sky rain and remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere to prevent extreme weather occurrences such as storms or flooding.

Changing the weather can be helpful for various reasons, but it can also be necessary occasionally. Geoengineering aims to keep the planet safe. On the other hand, nature states that some experts believe that humans should avoid interfering with the environment. The outcome may look good on paper and based on current knowledge, but what about the unanticipated consequences? Humans have significantly impacted climate change, and many believe we should focus on naturally reversing our activities to regulate the weather better. Two goals here are reduced reliance on fossil fuels and the protection of plant life.

The history of cloud seeding

Cloud seeding is a technique for causing rain clouds to form. Tiny particles of silver or lead iodide are thrown into the atmosphere by airplanes, drones, or rockets. In the cloud, the water droplets that are too small to fall as rain are surrounded by silver iodide because of their similar structure to that of ice. Ice crystals begin to form when the water and silver iodide mix. The ice crystals eventually become too heavy to float. Raindrops form as snowflakes fall to the ground and melt.

The U.S. military utilized cloud seeding during the Vietnam War in 1974. Vietnam's monsoon season was meant to be extended to deter the enemy. Operation Popeye was the name the Office of the Historian gave to the operation, which stated that the U.S. troops were better equipped for the long wet season. For devastation and flooding, Operation Popeye made use of the rain.

To do this, military planes carried canisters of silver or lead iodide on their wings and flew over certain areas. The canisters were set alight to discharge the particles into the atmosphere. The European Modification Convention restricted military methods that controlled the weather when Operation Popeye came to light.

The BBC said that this year's Olympics in Beijing was affected by China's weather modification program. It was hoped that the rain would fall before events like the opening ceremony rather than during them. Thus the country used cloud-seeding.

Cloud-whitening towers in the marine environment

Particle size and composition determine the color of a cloud. In addition to being aesthetically attractive, white clouds are functional because they reflect sunlight and the heat it transports into the atmosphere. According to the BBC, cloud-whitening towers are designed to brighten shadows to minimize global warming.

The towers would be built on a fleet of self-driving boats floating on the water. The sea's water would then be poured into the buildings, where it would be sprayed into the sky. Using a fine mist of seawater might diminish cloud droplet size. As a result of the scattering of light by the tiny droplets in clouds, the clouds appear white and reflect more sunlight away from Earth.

2. Builders of icebergs

Global warming is frequently linked to the melting of the Arctic ice. It's possible to slow climate change indirectly, but what if we could rebuild the Arctic with the help of machines? Under the direction of architect Faris Rajak Kotahatuhaha, scientists in Indonesia have created an iceberg-creating submarine as part of the ASA Experimental Design Competition.

The vessels would be submerged to fill the hexagonal center with water. After that, this water is filtered to remove any salt. Sea water's freezing point rises when salt is removed. Hence this step is critical. The water is kept out of the sun's rays, allowing it to freeze naturally.

For around one month after it left the ship, the 16-foot (5 meters) long, 25 meters deep hexagonal chunk of frozen water would break away from the vessel and drift away from it. This particular shape was selected to enhance the likelihood of two ice cubes colliding.

3. Fertilization of the oceans

Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is transferred to the ocean's bottom during fertilization. Even though people can begin this procedure, the Royal Society states that phytoplankton is a crucial player in ocean fertilization. According to numerous tests, this proposed plan has proven safe and effective. However, other scientists are concerned about its potential to modify ocean ecosystems at different levels.

There are two primary methods for discharging iron into the ocean: boats are utilized to do it. Algal blooms are caused when iron depletes the food supply of phytoplankton, microscopic sea algae.

Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is taken up by phytoplankton, which then release oxygen into the water. When phytoplankton dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, taking the carbon it had absorbed with it. It can take more than a century for carbon to be removed from the atmosphere when it is deposited in the ocean's deepest depths.

The fourth method of artificial upwelling is mentioned.

This procedure is carried out by pushing deep ocean water into shallower water via massive artificial tubes. JAO Technology reports that this method causes colder and more nutrient-dense water to be spread closer to the surface. Air temperatures have been lowered by upwelling because the surface water is colder and absorbs more heat from the atmosphere.

The upwelling system would have to be on indefinitely even if the weather changed temporarily. A reversed warming effect would result if the absorbed heat were released.

Astronautic geoengineering

The goal of all geoengineering initiatives is to alter the planet's climate. However, not all of them are designed to work on Earth. Geoengineering in outer space entails removing oneself from Earth's gravity well to make more profound adjustments. So much of the geoengineering technology envisioned for Earth's orbit is based on altering the sunlight that shines on our planet when we orbit around the sun.

Engineer James Early developed the first concept for this type of space-based technology in 1989. According to the British Interplanetary Society, his idea called for constructing a large glass sheet of 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) in width. The glass structure would act as a shield between the sun and Earth while in orbit, reflecting sunlight into space and lowering the amount of radiation entering Earth's atmosphere.......................................................................... Launching such a large, heavy structure into orbit would be prohibitively expensive, and it would almost certainly have to be put together once there. According to the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, experiments are now being conducted utilizing space assembly technology.

There is no long-term human presence on another planet, so scientists have proposed an array of smaller mirror satellites and dense asteroid dust zones to function as a solar barrier, Space.com reports.

Equipment must be kept in an excellent place to block and deflect the light away from the Earth. The L1 Lagrange point is the most frequently suggested location for installing such a system. According to NASA, a satellite may be kept in place at this location between the sun and Earth because the two objects' gravity is equal.

We know where we're going and have lots of ideas. So why haven't these ideas turned into working systems? Geoengineering in space could succeed because of one factor, but it could also fail miserably because of another: scale. Rather than influencing a specific feature of the weather on Earth, which allows for more exact control, spacecraft can affect the entire planet's climate.

Only after the mission has been launched can these large-scale modifications be effectively tested. An abrupt cooling and reduction in light can't be predicted with any certainty.

supplementary materials and reading

The Oxford Geoengineering Program website has more information about geoengineering technologies. NASA has answered five frequently asked questions about hacking the globe in an infographic.

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/geoengineering-the-weather

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/vectors/hujan-alam-hijau-titisan-hujan-5115710/

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