Climate Engineering Has the Potential to Slow Ice Melting in Antarctica

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The impact of climate change and global warming has accelerated the melting of ice in the Antarctic region. However, new research shows that climate engineering known as stratospheric aerosol injection has the potential to slow the rapid melting of ice in West Antarctica.

The potential for climate engineering to slow the melting of ice in Antarctica is the result of a recent study conducted by researchers at Indiana University (IU), United States. Studies with reports that have been published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres on November 15, 2023 it is one of the first studies to look at how climate engineering could impact ice melt in Antarctica.

Paul Goddard, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the IU College of Arts and Sciences and lead author of the study, said the entire world will see significant sea level rise. This condition has the potential to be prevented through climate engineering efforts.

Some injection scenarios at single latitudes actually accelerate Antarctic ice loss.

”Exploring different ways to reflect sunlight into space before it is absorbed into Earth’s climate system could buy us more time to address climate change. “This can also delay critical climate points such as the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet,” he said, quoted from the official Indiana University website, Monday (20/11/2023).

This study explores a form of climate engineering called stratospheric aerosol injection. Climate engineering is carried out by releasing a number of small sulfur droplets into the stratosphere by aircraft to keep global temperatures under control.

This approach mimics a large volcano as it spews particles into the upper atmosphere and creates a cooling effect that can last for months to years. This approach is also being discussed in a White House report outlining potential research programs into stratospheric aerosol injection and brightening of marine clouds as other strategies to cool the Earth.

In this study, IU researchers and collaborators used high-performance computers and global climate models to simulate various stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios. They also identified the cooling strategies that have the most potential to slow ice loss in Antarctica.

Also read: More than 3,000 Billion Tons of Antarctic Ice Has Melted in 25 Years

”Where the aerosol release occurs is very important and can influence the climate differently. “In this case, we found that the release of stratospheric aerosols at various latitudes in tropical and subtropical regions, with a greater proportion in the Southern Hemisphere, is the best strategy for preserving land ice in Antarctica because it helps keep warm ocean water away from the ice.” Goddard said.

In addition, the researchers also simulated 11 different stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios. The simulation, which runs from 2035 to 2070, includes a moderate emissions scenario without stratospheric aerosol injection which is the main comparison point.

Goddard emphasized that although simulation scenarios with stratospheric aerosol injection at a number of latitudes show benefits in preventing Antarctic ice loss, further studies are still needed to quantify changes in melt rates.

Further studies need to focus on looking at climate engineering as a whole. This is because several injection scenarios at single latitudes actually accelerate the loss of Antarctic ice due to a shift in winds to the south which pulls warm sea water towards the ice sheet.

Also read: Warning of the Breaking of an Iceberg in Antarctica

IU assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences who was also involved in this study, Ben Kravitz, said this study adds to knowledge about the benefits and disadvantages of planetary cooling methods. This method is a concept that is being discussed more widely as the impacts of climate change increase.

“We are starting to fill some knowledge gaps regarding the risks and regional impacts of solar radiation management. However, there is still a lot of research that needs to be done to see whether these efforts are really good or the opposite,” he said.