π‘οΈ Arctic-Antarctic Solar Polar ExpressAnother hare-brained idea and an engineering challenge:All sane humans accept by now that the polar ice caps are melting and that it's a potentially catastrophic problem
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οΈ Arctic-Antarctic Solar Polar ExpressAnother hare-brained idea and an engineering challenge:
All sane humans accept by now that the polar ice caps are melting and that it's a potentially catastrophic problem.
Part of the polar warming is caused by direct sunlight during the long polar summers, esp. when the sunlight hits darker migrated particles sitting on the ice and snow.
What if we could *reduce* solar radiation specifically in polar regions during their long summers?
Think about those aerial advertising banners flown over sports events etc.
What if we could manufacture a humongous ultra-lightweight (photovoltaic/solar panel) banner and fly it at very high altitude, circling the high polar ice cap from spring to autumn, then migrating south and doing the same around Antarctica during its long daylight summer, from autumn till spring.
It would probably take several aircraft β each with accompanying tail glider and 'ballast' gliders to maintain form β to begin scaling up meaningfully, but these aircraft could be autonomous (a mini swarm) and fully solar-powered..
Yet if this could prevent just 10-20% of the annual summer ice loss (which exacerbates warming as the open 'blue ocean' absorbs solar rays instead of reflecting them out like ice and snow), it wouldn't be nothing and could buy us precious time.
In theory such 'solar banners' could also be flown over regions like overheated megacities, reducing the sun's heating intensity while beaming down the energy it captures...
#globalwarming #climatechange #arctic #antarctic #geoengineering
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οΈ Arctic-Antarctic Solar Polar Express
Another hare-brained idea and an engineering challenge:
All sane humans accept by now that the polar ice caps are melting and that it's a potentially catastrophic problem.
Part of the polar warming is caused by direct sunlight during the long polar summers, esp. when the sunlight hits darker migrated particles sitting on the ice and snow.
What if we could *reduce* solar radiation specifically in polar regions during their long summers?
Think about those aerial advertising banners flown over sports events etc.
What if we could manufacture a humongous ultra-lightweight (photovoltaic/solar panel) banner and fly it at very high altitude, circling the high polar ice cap from spring to autumn, then migrating south and doing the same around Antarctica during its long daylight summer, from autumn till spring.
It would probably take several aircraft β each with accompanying tail glider and 'ballast' gliders to maintain form β to begin scaling up meaningfully, but these aircraft could be autonomous (a mini swarm) and fully solar-powered..
Yet if this could prevent just 10-20% of the annual summer ice loss (which exacerbates warming as the open 'blue ocean' absorbs solar rays instead of reflecting them out like ice and snow), it wouldn't be nothing and could buy us precious time.
In theory such 'solar banners' could also be flown over regions like overheated megacities, reducing the sun's heating intensity while beaming down the energy it captures...
#globalwarming #climatechange #arctic #antarctic #geoengineering
Oh look, a new ARS piece talking about this stuff!
Predictably the scientists quoted will only accept the reduction in carbon emission as the only sustainable solution. (And they're right!)
γThe assessment shows that βno current geoengineering idea passes an objective and comprehensive test regarding its use in the coming decades,βγ
Yes dear sherlocks, but we do want to slow down *all* the 'engines' of the negative feedback loop, right? Even if polar krill populations will face hard times for a decade or few.
Once we kickstart the runaway feedback loop and begin releasing the massive 'fossilized' arctic COβ and methane reserves we humans simply can't put the plug back in.
https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/115174558308289672
#globalwarming #climatechange #arctic #antarctic #geoengineering
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