Wildfires, Volcanic eruptions and climate intervention
About
Aerosols in the stratosphere play a crucial role in the Earth’s climate system by scattering solar radiation, which directly impacts global temperatures. Various events, such as volcanic eruptions, extreme wildfires, and artificial solar geoengineering, can significantly increase stratospheric aerosol concentrations.
Volcanic Eruptions: Strong volcanic eruptions can inject large quantities of aerosols directly into the stratosphere, often resulting in a cooling effect on global surface temperatures that can last for months or even years. For instance, the eruptions of Raikoke in 2019 and Tonga in 2022 increased the stratospheric aerosol load significantly, impacting the climate. Each eruption is unique in terms of aerosol composition and lifetime. Understanding the role of ash in the optical properties of aerosols and its climate impact remains an ongoing research focus.
Extreme Fire Events: Severe wildfires can propel smoke particles and water vapor high into the atmosphere, sometimes reaching the stratosphere through pyro-convection. With global warming, the frequency and intensity of wildfires are increasing, making them a growing factor in stratospheric aerosol levels. Events like the Canadian wildfires in 2017 and the Australian fires in 2019/2020 caused stratospheric disturbances comparable to moderate volcanic eruptions. Unlike volcanic aerosols, wildfire aerosols vary greatly in their optical properties and can have both cooling and warming effects on the climate, depending on the specific event.
Solar Geoengineering: To combat global warming, reflective aerosols in the stratosphere have been proposed as a method to artificially cool the Earth. However, the potential negative consequences of such geoengineering efforts are not yet fully understood or studied.
Research Topics
At ICE-4, we aim to deepen our understanding of how aerosols from volcanic eruptions, extreme fires, and geoengineering efforts impact global climate and regional weather patterns. Our research focuses on several key areas:
- Development of Measurement Instruments: We create advanced instruments to gather new data on the optical and microphysical properties of stratospheric aerosols, enhancing our understanding of their impact on the climate.
- Spontaneous Stratospheric Measurements: By combining various lightweight aerosol payloads, we conduct spontaneous measurements in the stratosphere, providing real-time data on aerosol properties during significant events.
- Global Network of Field Campaigns: We are establishing a global network of targeted field campaigns, utilizing optical aerosol analyzers to observe aerosols within stratospheric plumes from volcanic eruptions and extreme fire events. These campaigns aim to collect critical data for atmospheric model validation and climate impact assessments.
- Aerosol Observation Analysis: We analyze both in situ and remote sensing observations to understand the extent, distribution, and dynamics of stratospheric aerosol plumes. This analysis is crucial for accurate climate modeling and impact prediction.
- Model Simulations: Our team adjusts and performs model simulations to study the dynamic processes of aerosol plumes, improving our ability to predict their climate effects.
By advancing our knowledge in these areas, ICE-4 strives to contribute to better predictions of the climate impacts of volcanic eruptions and extreme fire events, and to understand the potential consequences of solar geoengineering for climate, weather, and the ozone layer.
