How to cool the Arctic

How to cool the Arctic 

by John Nissen.  

December 2011

Which is the most viable method of emergency cooling of the Arctic to prevent runaway global heating? There are several approaches for cooling the Arctic and saving the sea ice, some involving the reduction of heat flux into the Arctic and others involving the increase in heat flux out. 

Probably we will need a combination.

Reduction of heat in

1. SRM (solar radiation management, by increasing albedo to reflect more sunlight back into space)

1.1 Stratospheric aerosols

1.1.1 SO2 *

1.1.2 TiO2 *

1.1.3 Other materials, e.g. silicate (*?)

1.2 Cloud brightening *

1.3 Tropospheric aerosols

1.3.1 Add sulphate aerosols (* if can't get into stratosphere, see 1.1.1)

1.3.2 Don't remove sulphate aerosols

(Encourage ships and aircraft to burn fuel with high/higher sulphur content! **)

1.4 Increase surface albedo

1.4.1 Cloud seeding to make it snow on bare ground *

1.4.2 LAIR to put frost on ground (* if study shows viable method)

1.4.3 Drain pools, ponds and lakes

1.5 Water brightening

1.5.1 Bubbles in the surface water

1.5.2 Reflective layer, e.g. bio material

2. Reduction of heat transfer into Arctic

2.1 Reduction of river flow into the Arctic Ocean

2.2 Reduction of ocean currents into the Arctic 

2.2.1 Slow the current through the Bering Strait (*?)

2.3 Block ice exit

Ice 'coolth' out of the Arctic is equivalent to water warmth into the Arctic.

3. TRM (thermal radiation management, by allowing more thermal radiation into space)

3.1 Cloud removal 

3.1.1 Stratus cloud removal *

3.2 Exposing water at a time when the net heat is outgoing

3.2.1 Removing ice in the autumn (but study is needed on net effect)

The above all amount to cooling action. There's also the possibility to thicken the ice in order to make it take longer to melt away in the summer.

The methods marked with '*' are most promising for some deployment by spring 2013, given enough determination. And the methods marked '**' should be implemented immediately - as largely a matter of changing or not changing regulations.

Above diagram was produced by John Nissen, with artwork by Sam Carana, as part of the brochure Arctic Methane Alert, distributed by the Arctic Methane Emergency Group during the AGU Fall Meeting, 2011. A copy of the brochure (pdf) can be downloaded from:
http://www.vmine.net/scienceinparliament/specials/12.pdf
and viewed online at:
http://www.flipdocs.com/showbook.aspx?ID=10004692_698290

A later version of this diagram is displayed below.

Further reading

Comprehensive Plan of Action
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/comprehensive-plan-of-action.html

Decomposing Arctic Methane
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/decomposing-atmospheric-methane.html

Arctic Methane Management
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/arctic-methane-management.html

Oxygenating the Arctic
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/oxygenating-arctic.html

President Obama, here's a climate plan!
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2013/01/president-obama-here-s-a-climate-plan.html

Methane capture
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/methane-capture.html