Scientists Conduct Risky Experiments on Atmosphere and Ocean Water to Cool the Planet

Three geoengineering projects seek to change the chemical composition of the atmosphere and ocean. Critics warn of undesirable consequences, the WSJ writes.

These include dumping chemicals into the ocean, spraying salt water in the clouds, and launching reflective particles into the sky. 

Scientists are resorting to once unimaginable methods to cool the planet as global efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions fail.

These geoengineering approaches were once considered taboo by scientists and regulators who feared that interfering with the environment could have unintended consequences, but now researchers are receiving taxpayer funds and private investment to get out of the lab and test these methods in the wild.

Illuminating marine clouds. Researchers aboard a ship off Australia's northeast coast near the Whitsunday Islands spray a salty mixture through high-pressure nozzles into the air in an attempt to brighten low-altitude clouds that form over the ocean. Scientists hope that the larger and brighter clouds will reflect sunlight away from the Earth, shading the ocean surface and cooling the waters around the Great Barrier Reef, where rising ocean temperatures have caused a massive coral die-off. The research project, known as marine cloud lighting, is being led by Southern Cross University as part of the $64.55 million, or AU$100 million, Reef Restoration and Adaptation Programme. 

Stardust Solutions. in Israel, a startup called Stardust Solutions has begun testing a system to disperse a cloud of tiny reflective particles at an altitude of approximately 60,000 feet, reflecting sunlight off the Earth to cool the atmosphere in a concept known as solar radiation management or SRM. 

Dumping lye into the ocean. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts plan to dump 6,000 gallons of a liquid solution of sodium hydroxide, a component of lye, into the ocean 10 miles south of Martha's Vineyard this summer. The hope is that the chemical base will act like a large Tums tablet, reducing the acidity of the surface water area and absorbing 20 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, safely storing it in the ocean.