Abstract
Perturbed-physics climate modelling experiments simulate past and future climate scenarios using a wide combination of model parameters consistent with past climate. Using such an approach, a study examines variations in the response of climate to solar-radiation management under different climate sensitivities. If implementation of proposals to engineer the climate through solar-radiation management (SRM) ever occurs, it is likely to be contingent on climate sensitivity. However, modelling studies examining the effectiveness of SRM as a strategy to offset anthropogenic climate change have used only the standard parameterizations of atmosphere–ocean general circulation models that yield climate sensitivities close to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project mean. Here, we use a perturbed-physics ensemble modelling experiment to examine how the response of the climate to SRM implemented in the stratosphere (SRM-S) varies under different greenhouse-gas climate sensitivities. When SRM-S is used to compensate for rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, its effectiveness in stabilizing regional climates diminishes with increasing climate sensitivity. However, the potential of SRM-S to slow down unmitigated climate change, even regionally, increases with climate sensitivity. On average, in variants of the model with higher sensitivity, SRM-S reduces regional rates of temperature change by more than 90% and rates of precipitation change by more than 50%.
Highlights
If implementation of proposals to engineer the climate through solar radiation management (SRM) ever occurs, it is likely to be contingent upon climate sensitivity
When SRM implemented in the stratosphere (SRM-S) is used to compensate for rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas (GHG), its effectiveness in stabilizing regional climates diminishes with increasing climate sensitivity
The potential of SRM-S to slow down unmitigated climate change, even regionally, increases with climate sensitivity
Summary
Modeling studies examining the effectiveness of solar radiation management (SRM) as a strategy to offset anthropogenic climate change have used only the standard parameterizations of Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation. When SRM-S is used to compensate for rising atmospheric concentrations of GHGs, its effectiveness in stabilizing regional climates diminishes with increasing climate sensitivity. The Royal Society has defined solar radiation management (SRM) as techniques that "attempt to offset effects of increased greenhouse gas concentrations by causing the Earth to absorb less solar radiation" [1]. A number of AOGCM modeling studies suggest that SRM can compensate for many of the temperature and precipitation changes associated with global warming, even at the regional level [2,3,4], though these regional compensatory effects are not uniform [4,5]
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