London, Nov 15 (PTI) Proposals to reduce the effects ofglobal warming by imitating volcanic eruptions could have adevastating effect on global regions prone to eithertumultuous storms or prolonged drought, a study has found.
Geoengineering - the intentional manipulation of theclimate to counter the effect of global warming by injectingaerosols artificially into the atmosphere - has been mootedas a potential way to deal with climate change.
However, new research led by climate experts from theUniversity of Exeter in the UK suggests that targetinggeoengineering in one hemisphere could have a severelydetrimental impact for the other.
They suggest that while injections of aerosols in thenorthern hemisphere would reduce tropical cyclone activity -responsible for such recent phenomena including HurricaneKatrina - it would at the same time lead to increasedlikelihood for drought in Sahel, the area of sub-SaharanAfrica just south of the Sahara desert.
Researchers have called on policymakers worldwide tostrictly regulate any large scale unilateral geoengineeringprogrammes in the future to prevent inducing naturaldisasters in different parts of the world.
"Our results confirm that regional solar geoengineeringis a highly risky strategy which could simultaneously benefitone region to the detriment of another," said Anthony Jones,from the University of Exeter.
"It is vital that policymakers take solar geoengineeringseriously and act swiftly to install effective regulation,"said Jones, lead author of the study published in the journalNature Communications.
The research centres on the impact solar geoengineeringmethods that inject aerosols into the atmosphere may have onthe frequency of tropical cyclones.
The controversial approach, known as stratosphericaerosol injection, is designed to effectively cool theEarth's surface by reflecting some sunlight before it reachesthe surface.
The proposals mimic the aftermath of volcanic eruptions,when aerosols are naturally injected into the atmosphere.
In the study, the researchers use sophisticatedsimulations with a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean model toinvestigate the effect of hemispheric stratospheric aerosolinjection on North Atlantic tropical cyclone frequency.
They found injections of aerosols in the northernhemisphere would decrease North Atlantic tropical cyclonefrequency, while injections contained to the southernhemisphere may potentially enhance it. PTI SARSAR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.