This covers the "first russian geoenineering" experiment
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/12/14/russian-scientists-field-test-geoengineering/
Russian Scientists Field Test Geoengineering
I don’t know why this hasn’t (apparently) been reported before. But as
I note today in Mother Jones:
Although so far it has received little or no attention, the
journal Russian Meteorology and Hydrology recently published a new
kind of geoengineering study whose lead author is the journal’s
editor, the prominent Russian scientist Yuri A. Izrael. Known for his
opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, his skepticism of human-caused
global warming, and his enthusiasm for geoengineering, Izrael also
happens to be a top scientific adviser to Vladimir Putin. And now, his
paper reports on what is probably the very first geoengineering field
trial. Israel and his team of scientists mounted aerosol generators on
a helicopter and a car chassis, and proceeded to blast out particles
at ground level and at heights of up to 200 meters. Then they
attempted to measure just how much sunlight reaching the earth was
reduced due to the aerosol plume.
The intervention was effective, the Russian scientists say. And in
an accompanying article on geoengineering alternatives, Izrael and
colleagues note that “Already in the near future, the technological
possibilities of a full scale use of [aerosol-based geoengineering]
will be studied.”
Up until now, scientists have largely studied the possibilities of
geoengineering in relatively unthreatening computer models—not out in
nature itself. They’ve just run a series of simulations to try to
assess likely impacts. In this context, the apparent trajectory of
Russian research sounds like something quite new. And it may prompt
increasing calls for regulation of geoengineering interventions, even
at the small scale research level where environmental consequences
would be relatively minimal.
Note that this is a small scale field test; it is not like global
climate is going to change because of this study. However, it does
appear to break new ground, and moves us a step closer to actual
interventions.
My report on all this is part of a much larger article on how failure
at Copenhagen will give geoengineering advocates an even stronger hand
than they are already obtaining. You can read the full report here.
December 14th, 2009 Tags: geoengineering, Global Warming, russian
federation, sulfate aerosols
by Chris Mooney in Environment, Global Warming | 7 comments | RSS feed
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