Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management
Solar radiation management (SRM) has been proposed as a means to alleviate the climate impacts of ongoing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, its efficacy depends on its indefinite maintenance, without interruption from a variety of possible sources, such as technological failure...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/2/024005 |
| _version_ | 1797747991987093504 |
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| author | Kelly E McCusker Kyle C Armour Cecilia M Bitz David S Battisti |
| author_facet | Kelly E McCusker Kyle C Armour Cecilia M Bitz David S Battisti |
| author_sort | Kelly E McCusker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar radiation management (SRM) has been proposed as a means to alleviate the climate impacts of ongoing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, its efficacy depends on its indefinite maintenance, without interruption from a variety of possible sources, such as technological failure or global cooperation breakdown. Here, we consider the scenario in which SRM—via stratospheric aerosol injection—is terminated abruptly following an implementation period during which anthropogenic GHG emissions have continued. We show that upon cessation of SRM, an abrupt, spatially broad, and sustained warming over land occurs that is well outside 20th century climate variability bounds. Global mean precipitation also increases rapidly following cessation, however spatial patterns are less coherent than temperature, with almost half of land areas experiencing drying trends. We further show that the rate of warming—of critical importance for ecological and human systems—is principally controlled by background GHG levels. Thus, a risk of abrupt and dangerous warming is inherent to the large-scale implementation of SRM, and can be diminished only through concurrent strong reductions in anthropogenic GHG emissions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:59:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58149ecc1fdd41539076da2d7a4c97d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:59:31Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-58149ecc1fdd41539076da2d7a4c97d72023-08-09T14:42:28ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262014-01-019202400510.1088/1748-9326/9/2/024005Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation managementKelly E McCusker0Kyle C Armour1Cecilia M Bitz2David S Battisti3School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC, CanadaDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USADepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA, USADepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA, USASolar radiation management (SRM) has been proposed as a means to alleviate the climate impacts of ongoing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, its efficacy depends on its indefinite maintenance, without interruption from a variety of possible sources, such as technological failure or global cooperation breakdown. Here, we consider the scenario in which SRM—via stratospheric aerosol injection—is terminated abruptly following an implementation period during which anthropogenic GHG emissions have continued. We show that upon cessation of SRM, an abrupt, spatially broad, and sustained warming over land occurs that is well outside 20th century climate variability bounds. Global mean precipitation also increases rapidly following cessation, however spatial patterns are less coherent than temperature, with almost half of land areas experiencing drying trends. We further show that the rate of warming—of critical importance for ecological and human systems—is principally controlled by background GHG levels. Thus, a risk of abrupt and dangerous warming is inherent to the large-scale implementation of SRM, and can be diminished only through concurrent strong reductions in anthropogenic GHG emissions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/2/024005climate engineeringgeoengineeringsolar radiation managementabrupt climate change |
| spellingShingle | Kelly E McCusker Kyle C Armour Cecilia M Bitz David S Battisti Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management Environmental Research Letters climate engineering geoengineering solar radiation management abrupt climate change |
| title | Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| title_full | Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| title_fullStr | Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| title_short | Rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| title_sort | rapid and extensive warming following cessation of solar radiation management |
| topic | climate engineering geoengineering solar radiation management abrupt climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/2/024005 |
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