With the world holding out dumb processions against the laddering problem of global warming and researchers around the world striving their ways out to find solutions to this problem, any solution which is the next in the row is welcome with open arms. And you know what the next in the row is? The concept of Marine Cloud Brightening. And what is the concept all about? It is all about fighting with the problem of global warming. It is about challenging the rising proportion of carbon dioxide in the air by adding water droplets in the air, tiny enough to expand the already existent clouds. But how can clouds curtail the extent of global warming? Clouds actually reflect back a considerable proportion of sunlight back and prevent it from entering the earth’s atmosphere. This would naturally reduce the extent to which temperature would rise.
The entire concept would work on the basis of two things. First, clouds hovering above the oceans are potent ones because a lot of water is evaporated from the surface of the ocean and added to these clouds. Second, this process can be accelerated artificially by spraying water from the ocean into the sky; the condition is that the droplets must be small enough to form clouds, almost 0.8 microns in diameter. There is a slight difference here, instead of water vapor joining the fleet of hovering clouds, it would be water droplets that would solve the purpose. The proponents propose to achieve this by deploying special ships that would be turned functional by using wind energy instead of the conventional ones which run on diesel. Real clean energy, you see! These ships, fondly named the Albedo yachts are supposed to pump out saline water from the sea and sprinkle it into the air. As many as 2000 such ships would be deployed all over the ocean. The requirement would be to suck up 30 liters of water by each of these ships and throw it with pressure almost 1000 meters in the atmosphere. There is a lot more to delve into and a lot more research to be done. Next, we see in detail as to what can be done regarding the actualization of this concept.
Trends
1. Cloud seeding ships should combat climate change
Cloud seeding would be an active participant in the process. As already discussed, ships would be deployed to do the needful. The expansion pattern on the number of ships would be fifty per year until the total number of ships has reached 1500 or 2000. This statistic is in accordance to the present rate at which our climate is changing. These ships would be unmanned and fully automated or may I say remote controlled. Each of these ships would cost a fortune, £1 to 2 each. So another thought that is currently being given to this matter is whether using conventional diesel oil ships could be a feasible option or not. But would this idea not be a bit contrasting to the main aim of the project? Using conventional fuel would cough up a lot of carbon wastage into the atmosphere and counter the effect of this entire project. It would add to global warming. Hence the better idea would be to stick to the Albedo yacht material.
2. Ocean Sulphur Cycle Enhancement
This proposition is based on the fact that dimethyl sulphide increases the reflectivity of clouds. Hence, fastening the natural sulphur cycle would enhance the process of dimethyl sulphide production. This water would be evaporated and would increase the reflectivity of the clouds.
3. Ultrasonic excitation of a liquid using a piezo-electric transducer
This would be using the Faraday concept. Free waves would be created on the ocean surface within a predictable area. When these waves are made steep, water particles would be forced up into the clouds. The condition is, a lot of energy would be required to create this effect. Again an irony, would energy be ultimately required to reduce the effects of high energy consumption that the world is currently facing?
The benefits
Apparently, the most important and transparent benefit is that global warming would be reduced. Temperatures are supposed to be brought under control. Ice caps would be pardoned the seemingly short life symptom that they are facing now. other effects would follow. But to be remembered is the fact that all this is only a supposition. Nothing has yet been proven to be applicable on practical grounds.
The lowdown
The biggest is that it is only a concept. The second is that enormous experiments would be required to prove this method’s credibility. The money spent on such experiments could at least to my fringe of thought, be used in a much better way in the development of human race and to solve other problems.
The impact
What else? When our proponents are pinning their faith in this Albedo method, other researchers are even in the condition of doubting its applicability. Secondly, when we all are facing the definite affects of adding things into the earth’s atmosphere already, would it be wise enough to add another name to the list? Science of course is a stick to help the earth limp and live for the rest of its life, but would it be a thinker’s choice to over-utilize its usefulness? The best way to reduce global warming is of course to reduce carbon emissions and not to add water vapor to the atmosphere.
