OSLO: Climate scientists are monitoring an erupting volcano on the Indonesian vacation island of Bali for clues about a possible short-cut to curb international warming via injecting sun-dimming chemical substances high above the Earth.
Volcanoes are rising as herbal laboratories to imitate "geo-engineering", the idea that governments may deliberately upload a veil of sulphur dioxide high above the planet as a man-made sunshade to curb man-made international warming.
Ash and smoke ejected up to now via the Agung volcano, which has been erupting in recent days, has now not been big enough or high enough in the environment to chill international temperatures. But scientists say they're studying what would happen if the volcano has a repeat of a a long way bigger eruption in 1963.
"I've been doing some Bali simulations with the U.K. Met office climate model as 'what ifs', and also some geo-engineering simulations," stated Jim Haywood, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Exeter.
He estimated that Agung spewed 8 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere in 1963, about 10-15 kms above the Earth's surface, enough to trim international temperatures for months. That eruption killed more than 1,000 people in Bali.
"Many scientists are keeping an eye on the Agung eruption in Bali," stated Alan Robock, a professor of local weather science at Rutgers University. "Volcanic eruptions serve as an analogue for the idea of humans creating such a cloud."
Satellite measurements of eruptions have most effective lately turn into exact enough to exploit volcanoes as models for geo-engineering.
That used to be unattainable, as an example, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991 and blew about 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, the second one greatest eruption of the 20th century after one in Alaska in 1912.
Mount Pinatubo had a cooling effect on the Earth since the sun-dimming sulphur spread worldwide.
"Since Pinatubo we've got a lot better" at measuring the results of giant eruptions, stated Matthew Watson of the University of Bristol. "We're waiting for something to happen on a scale where we can start thinking about what it means for geo-engineering."
He estimated that the Agung volcano has most probably ejected most effective about 10,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide in the most recent eruption, and now not as high as the stratosphere.
Governments agree they will have to focus maximum on cutting greenhouse fuel emissions beneath the 2015 Paris settlement rather than on science-fiction-like short-cuts to restrict temperatures blamed for inflicting more heatwaves, floods and rising sea ranges.
But present insurance policies put the arena on course to overshoot the Paris purpose of proscribing rising temperatures to "well below" two levels Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.
US President Donald Trump, who doubts man-made emissions are the top reason behind warming, also plans to tug out of the Paris deal and promote the USA fossil gas business. That risks additional weakening the Paris plan.
Volcanoes are rising as herbal laboratories to imitate "geo-engineering", the idea that governments may deliberately upload a veil of sulphur dioxide high above the planet as a man-made sunshade to curb man-made international warming.
Ash and smoke ejected up to now via the Agung volcano, which has been erupting in recent days, has now not been big enough or high enough in the environment to chill international temperatures. But scientists say they're studying what would happen if the volcano has a repeat of a a long way bigger eruption in 1963.
"I've been doing some Bali simulations with the U.K. Met office climate model as 'what ifs', and also some geo-engineering simulations," stated Jim Haywood, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Exeter.
He estimated that Agung spewed 8 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere in 1963, about 10-15 kms above the Earth's surface, enough to trim international temperatures for months. That eruption killed more than 1,000 people in Bali.
"Many scientists are keeping an eye on the Agung eruption in Bali," stated Alan Robock, a professor of local weather science at Rutgers University. "Volcanic eruptions serve as an analogue for the idea of humans creating such a cloud."
Satellite measurements of eruptions have most effective lately turn into exact enough to exploit volcanoes as models for geo-engineering.
That used to be unattainable, as an example, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991 and blew about 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, the second one greatest eruption of the 20th century after one in Alaska in 1912.
Mount Pinatubo had a cooling effect on the Earth since the sun-dimming sulphur spread worldwide.
"Since Pinatubo we've got a lot better" at measuring the results of giant eruptions, stated Matthew Watson of the University of Bristol. "We're waiting for something to happen on a scale where we can start thinking about what it means for geo-engineering."
He estimated that the Agung volcano has most probably ejected most effective about 10,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide in the most recent eruption, and now not as high as the stratosphere.
Governments agree they will have to focus maximum on cutting greenhouse fuel emissions beneath the 2015 Paris settlement rather than on science-fiction-like short-cuts to restrict temperatures blamed for inflicting more heatwaves, floods and rising sea ranges.
But present insurance policies put the arena on course to overshoot the Paris purpose of proscribing rising temperatures to "well below" two levels Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.
US President Donald Trump, who doubts man-made emissions are the top reason behind warming, also plans to tug out of the Paris deal and promote the USA fossil gas business. That risks additional weakening the Paris plan.
Scientists look to Bali volcano for clues to curb climate change
![Scientists look to Bali volcano for clues to curb climate change]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
November 30, 2017
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