Assessing the regional disparities in geoengineering impacts

Irvine, Peter J.; Ridgwell, Andy; Lunt, Daniel J.. 2010 Assessing the regional disparities in geoengineering impacts. Geophysical Research Letters, 37 (18), L18702. 10.1029/2010GL044447

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Official URL: http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/gl1018/2010GL044447...

Abstract/Summary

Solar Radiation Management (SRM) Geoengineering may ameliorate many consequences of global warming but also has the potential to drive regional climates outside the envelope of greenhouse-gas induced warming, creating 'novel' conditions, and could affect precipitation in some regions disproportionably. Here, using a fully coupled climate model we explore some new methodologies for assessing regional disparities in geoengineering impacts. Taking a 4 x CO2 climate and an idealized 'sunshade' SRM strategy, we consider different fractions of the maximum theoretical, 4 x CO2-cancelling global mean cooling. Whilst regional predictions in particularly relatively low resolution global climate models must be treated with caution, our simulations indicate that it might be possible to identify a level of SRM geoengineering capable of meeting multiple targets, such as maintaining a stable mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet and cooling global climate, but without reducing global precipitation below pre-industrial or exposing significant fractions of the Earth to 'novel' climate conditions. Citation: Irvine, P. J., A. Ridgwell, and D. J. Lunt (2010), Assessing the regional disparities in geoengineering impacts, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L18702, doi:10.1029/2010GL044447.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1029/2010GL044447
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Environmental Change and Evolution
ISSN:	0094-8276
NORA Subject Terms:	Meteorology and Climatology Earth Sciences Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	11 Mar 2011 17:49 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11796

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1029/2010GL044447

Programmes:

BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Environmental Change and Evolution

ISSN:

0094-8276

NORA Subject Terms:

Meteorology and Climatology
Earth Sciences
Atmospheric Sciences

Date made live:

11 Mar 2011 17:49 +0 (UTC)