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Designing a Radiative Antidote to CO 2
Author(s) -
Seeley Jacob T.,
Lutsko Nicholas J.,
Keith David W.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl090876
Subject(s) - environmental science , radiative transfer , atmospheric sciences , mean radiant temperature , wavelength , offset (computer science) , precipitation , atmosphere (unit) , troposphere , convection , materials science , climatology , meteorology , climate change , physics , optics , geology , oceanography , computer science , programming language
Solar radiation modification (SRM) reduces the CO 2 ‐induced change to the mean global hydrological cycle disproportionately more than it reduces the CO 2 ‐induced increase in mean surface temperature. Thus, if SRM were used to offset all CO 2 ‐induced mean warming, global‐mean precipitation would be less than in an unperturbed climate. Here, we show that the mismatch between the mean hydrological effects of CO 2 and SRM may partly be alleviated by spectrally tuning the SRM intervention (reducing insolation at some wavelengths more than others). By concentrating solar dimming at near‐infrared wavelengths, where H 2 O has strong absorption bands, the direct effect of CO 2 on the tropospheric energy budget can be offset, which minimizes perturbations to the mean hydrological cycle. Idealized cloud‐resolving simulations of radiative‐convective equilibrium confirm that spectrally tuned SRM can simultaneously maintain mean surface temperature and precipitation at their unperturbed values even as large quantities of CO 2 are added to the atmosphere.