This raises interesting points about the limits of SRM geoengineering. Perhaps the experts on the list could explain why frequent volcanic eruptions cause a warming effect? Can we be sure that H2S geoengineering techniques we propose cannot result in this 'blowback'?
A 2009/9/17 John Nissen <[email protected]>: > > This is a press report on the first day of the Hazards Colloquium, organised > by Bill McGuire, at UCL, London. > > http://planetark.org/wen/54708 > > Global Warming May Bring Tsunami And Quakes: Scientists > > Date: 17-Sep-09 > Country: UK > Author: Richard Meares > > LONDON - Quakes, volcanic eruptions, giant landslides and tsunamis may > become more frequent as global warming changes the earth's crust, scientists > said on Wednesday. > > Climate-linked geological changes may also trigger "methane burps," the > release of a potent greenhouse gas, currently stored in solid form under > melting permafrost and the seabed, in quantities greater than all the carbon > dioxide (CO2) in our air today. > > "Climate change doesn't just affect the atmosphere and the oceans but the > earth's crust as well. The whole earth is an interactive system," Professor > Bill McGuire of University College London told Reuters, at the first major > conference of scientists researching the changing climate's effects on > geological hazards. > > "In the political community people are almost completely unaware of any > geological aspects to climate change." > > The vulcanologists, seismologists, glaciologists, climatologists and > landslide experts at the meeting have looked to the past to try to predict > future changes, particularly to climate upheaval at the end of the last ice > age, some 12,000 years ago. > > "When the ice is lost, the earth's crust bounces back up again and that > triggers earthquakes, which trigger submarine landslides, which cause > tsunamis," said McGuire, who organized the three-day conference. > > David Pyle of Oxford University said small changes in the mass of the > earth's surface seems to affect volcanic activity in general, not just in > places where ice receded after a cold spell. Weather patterns also seem to > affect volcanic activity - not just the other way round, he told the > conference. > > LONDON'S ASIAN SUNSET > > Behind him was a slide of a dazzlingly bright orange painting, "London > sunset after Krakatau, 1883" - referring to a huge Asian volcanic eruption > whose effects were seen and felt around the world. > > Volcanoes can spew vast amounts of ash, sulphur, carbon dioxide and water > into the upper atmosphere, reflecting sunlight and sometimes cooling the > earth for a couple of years. But too many eruptions, too close together, may > have the opposite effect and quicken global warming, said U.S. vulcanologist > Peter Ward. > > "Prior to man, the most abrupt climate change was initiated by volcanoes, > but now man has taken over. Understanding why and how volcanoes did it will > help man figure out what to do," he said. > > Speakers were careful to point out that many findings still amounted only to > hypotheses, but said evidence appeared to be mounting that the world could > be in for shocks on a vast scale. > > Tony Song of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California warned of the > vast power of recently discovered "glacial earthquakes" -- in which glacial > ice mass crashes downwards like an enormous landslide. > > In the West Antarctic, ice piled more than one mile above sea level is being > undermined in places by water seeping in underneath. > > "Our experiments show that glacial earthquakes can generate far more > powerful tsunamis than undersea earthquakes with similar magnitude," said > Song. > > "Several high-latitude regions, such as Chile, New Zealand and Canadian > Newfoundland are particularly at risk." > > He said ice sheets appeared to be disintegrating much more rapidly than > thought and said glacial earthquake tsunamis were "low-probability but > high-risk." > > McGuire said the possible geological hazards were alarming enough, but just > one small part of a scary picture if man-made CO2 emissions were not > stabilized within around the next five years. > > "Added to all the rest of the mayhem and chaos, these things would just be > the icing on the cake," he said. "Things would be so bad that the odd > tsunami or eruption won't make much difference." > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
