As research into engineering techniques that might one day be employed to artificially cool the planet advances, some scientists are calling for adoption of an oversight framework to guide what to study... and when to stop.
The dynamics that lift smoke from large wildfires into the upper atmosphere could potentially be employed one day to help temporarily cool the planet, based on the findings of a modeling study led by NOAA scientists.
Massive high-altitude clouds of smoke warmed the Southern Hemisphere's stratospshere by about 1 degree Celsius for six months, and likely contributed to the large and persistent ozone hole that formed over Antarctica during the austral spring.
New research indicates that man-made clouds formed along shipping routes dissipate too quickly to provide insight into the cooling effect of naturally occuring marine clouds.