Christoph Elhardt | ETH Zürich | MP – A team led by ETH climate researcher Sandro Vattioni has shown that diamond dust released in the atmosphere could be a good way to cool the climate. However, it is still not a sustainable solution to climate change, says Vattioni in an interview with ETH News.
In brief:
- ETH researchers have shown that diamond dust in the upper atmosphere could be particularly good at reflecting solar radiation and thus cooling the climate.
- The technology is not a sustainable solution to climate change. However, it has the potential to temporarily mitigate some of its negative effects.
- However, the uncertainties are still so large, so that the technology cannot be considered for use. Much more research on the topic is needed.
Mr Vattioni, what is the subject of your study?
We looked at a method called solar geoengineering. This is a technology that involves releasing aerosols into the upper atmosphere, where they would reflect some of the solar radiation back into space. In our study, we investigated which aerosols would be best for this purpose, and what processes affect the efficiency of the reflection.
What are aerosols?
Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere. They have a cooling effect on the climate as they reflect solar radiation. A natural example of this effect are volcanic eruptions that emit sulphur dioxide. In the atmosphere sulphur dioxide forms sulphuric acid aerosols, which have a cooling effect on the climate. Consequently, most research in this area has focused on sulphur dioxide emissions.
What did you find out?
Using computer simulations, we were able to show that diamond dust – tiny particles of pure carbon – would be particularly suitable for solar geoengineering. It reflects sunlight the most and mitigates some of the negative environmental impacts that would result from injecting sulphur dioxide, for example.
Can you explain that?
Sulphuric acid aerosols warm the upper atmosphere locally, which could change global atmospheric circulation and global precipitation patterns. Diamond dust, on the other hand, has virtually no warming effect on the upper atmosphere. Sulphuric acid aerosols also cause acid rain, which diamond dust does not.
It sounds almost too good to be true. Are diamonds in the atmosphere really a solution to climate change?
No, absolutely not. Solar geoengineering will not solve the problem of climate change. However, it has the potential to temporarily mitigate some of the negative effects of climate change. The only sustainable solution to climate change remains the rapid reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero and the implementation of greenhouse gas removal technologies.
Read the rest of the interview on ETH News.
Journal Reference:
S. Vattioni, S. K. Käslin, J. A. Dykema, L. Beiping, T. Sukhodolov, J. Sedlacek, F. N. Keutsch, T. Peter, G. Chiodo, ‘Microphysical Interactions Determine the Effectiveness of Solar Radiation Modification via Stratospheric Solid Particle Injection’, Geophysical Research Letters 51 (19) (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL110575
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by ETH Zürich
Featured image: Diamond dust in the uppermost layer of air could reflect sunlight and slow down global warming. Credit: Pixabay | Pexels
