List of proposed geoengineering projects
Encyclopedia
Atmospheric projects
General proposals- Reflective aerosols or (atmospheric) dust
- Reflective metal flakes
- Reflective engineered nanoparticles
- Stratospheric sulfur aerosolsStratospheric sulfur aerosols (geoengineering)The ability of stratospheric sulfate aerosols to create a global dimming effect has made them a possible candidate for use in geoengineering projects to limit the effect and impact of climate change due to rising levels of greenhouse gases...
- Marine cloud brightening
- Ocean sulfur cycleSulfur cycleThe sulfur cycle are the collection of processes by which sulfur moves to and from minerals and living systems. Such biogeochemical cycles are important in geology because they affect many minerals...
enhancement - Ocean mixing
- Reflective balloons
- Modified ship /aircraft exhaust composition
- Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate EngineeringStratospheric Particle Injection for Climate EngineeringStratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering is a UK government-funded project that aims to assess the feasibility of injecting particles into the stratosphere from a tethered balloon for the purposes of solar radiation management....
Cloud seeding
- Burning sulfurSulfurSulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
- Liquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
- Silver iodideSilver iodideSilver iodide is a yellow, inorganic, photosensitive iodide of silver used in photography, in medicine as an antiseptic, and in rainmaking for cloud seeding.-Crystal structure:...
- Cirrus cloudCirrus cloudCirrus clouds are atmospheric clouds generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving them their name from the Latin word cirrus meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair...
seeding using airliners to reduce reflectivityReflectivityIn optics and photometry, reflectivity is the fraction of incident radiation reflected by a surface. In general it must be treated as a directional property that is a function of the reflected direction, the incident direction, and the incident wavelength...
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Terrestrial albedo modification
- Cool roofCool roofCool roofs are the roofs that can deliver high solar reflectance and high thermal emittance...
- Reflective plastic sheeting covering desert and glaciers
- Building thicker sea iceSea iceSea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
- Preventing solar energy from turning into heat
Land management / Bio-geoengineeringBio-geoengineeringBio-geoengineering is a form of geoengineering which seeks to use or modify plants or other living things to modify the Earth's climate.Bio-energy with carbon storage, afforestation projects, and ocean nourishment could be considered examples of bio-geoengineering....
- Snow forest clearance
- Tropical reforestationReforestationReforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
- Grassland modification
- High-albedoAlbedoAlbedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
crops.
Space projects
- Space sunshade
- Mining moon dust
- Diffraction gratingDiffraction gratingIn optics, a diffraction grating is an optical component with a periodic structure, which splits and diffracts light into several beams travelling in different directions. The directions of these beams depend on the spacing of the grating and the wavelength of the light so that the grating acts as...
or lensLens (optics)A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
in space, (L1 point)
Lunar spectrum shifting - to accelerate chlorophyll metabolic clocks
Biological processes
- Ocean iron fertilization
- Ocean urea fertilisationOcean NourishmentOcean Nourishment is a type of geoengineering based on the purposeful introduction of nutrients to the upper ocean to increase marine food production and to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fertilization can also potentially create sulfur aerosols which reduce the rate of global warming...
- ReforestationReforestationReforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
- PeatPeatPeat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
production - Ocean mixing
Physical processes
- BiocharBiocharBiochar or terra preta is charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar is under investigation as an approach to carbon sequestration via bio-energy with carbon capture and storage. Biochar thus has the potential to help mitigate climate change, via carbon sequestration...
burial - Bio-energy with carbon storageBio-energy with carbon storageBECS or Bio-Energy with Carbon Storage may refer to:*Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage *The burial or storage of biochar created by partial burning of biomass...
- Burying biomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
- Biomass ocean storage
- Carbon capture and storageCarbon capture and storageCarbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
Chemical techniques
- Mineral carbonationCarbonationCarbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
/ mineral sequestration. - Carbon negativeCarbon negativeCarbon negative is an adjectival phrase used to describe any process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with the intent to avoid global warming.-Carbon dioxide sinks and carbon negativity:...
cementCementIn the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed... - Oil shaleOil shaleOil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
ash - Carbon air capture
- Ocean acid neutralisation
- Ocean hydrochloric acid removal
See also
Jeff GoodellJeff Goodell
Jeff Goodell is an American author and contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine. Goodell's recent writings focus on energy and environmental issues. In 2006 he published his most popular book to date Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future...
's 2010 How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth’s Climate ("Can We 'Cool the Planet' through Geoengineering?")