Clark, Brendan, Alan Robock, Lili Xia, Sam S. Rabin, Jose R. Guarin, and
Jonas Jägermeyr, 2025:Stratospheric aerosol climate intervention could
reduce crop nutritional value./Env. Res. Lett/., *20*, 114083,
doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ae1151.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ae1151
*Abstract
*The deliberate addition of sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere to form
reflective sulfate aerosols, reflect sunlight, and reduce surface
temperatures is increasingly being considered as an option for
minimizing the impacts of climate change. This strategy would create an
unprecedented climate where the relationship between surface temperature
and carbon dioxide concentration is decoupled. The implications of
stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI) for global crop protein
concentrations have not yet been explored. While elevated CO2
concentrations are expected to reduce crop protein, higher temperatures
may increase crop protein concentrations. Here we report changes of
maize, rice, soybean, and wheat protein concentrations under a medium
emissions climate change scenario and a SAI scenario to maintain global
average temperatures at 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels, as simulated
by three global gridded crop models. We show that using SAI to offset
surface temperature increases would create decreases in the global
protein concentrations of maize and rice, with minimal impact on wheat
and soybean. Some already protein-deficient and malnourished nations
that rely heavily on these crops to meet protein demands would show
large decreases in protein intake under SAI with the current diet
pattern, which could exacerbate their nutrient scarcity. The range of
results between crop models highlights the need for a more comprehensive
analysis using additional crop models, climate models, a broader range
of climate intervention scenarios, and advancements in crop models to
better represent protein responses to climate changes.
--
Alan Robock
Alan Robock, Distinguished Professor
Editor, /Reviews of Geophysics
<https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19449208>/(Impact
Factor 37.3) <https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19449208>
Department of Environmental Sciences Phone: +1-848-932-5751
Rutgers University E-mail:
[email protected]
14 College Farm Road https://people.envsci.rutgers.edu/robock
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551 ☮ @alanrobock.bsky.social
<https://bsky.app/profile/alanrobock.bsky.social>
Read our book: /Earth in Flames: How an Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs
and How We Can Avoid a Similar Fate From Nuclear Winter/
by Owen Brian Toon and Alan Robock
<https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Flames-Asteroid-Dinosaurs-Similar/dp/0197799701/ref=sr_1_1>
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