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Title: Stratospheric sulfate geoengineering could enhance the terrestrial photosynthesis rate

Journal Article · · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online)
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States)
  2. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)
  3. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States); Univ. of Leeds, Leeds (United Kingdom)

Stratospheric sulfate geoengineering could impact the terrestrial carbon cycle by enhancing the carbon sink. With an 8 Tg yr-1 injection of SO2 to produce a stratospheric aerosol cloud to balance anthropogenic radiative forcing from the Representative Concentration Pathway 6.0 (RCP6.0) scenario, we conducted climate model simulations with the Community Earth System Model – the Community Atmospheric Model 4 fully coupled to tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry (CAM4–chem). During the geoengineering period, as compared to RCP6.0, land-averaged downward visible (300–700 nm) diffuse radiation increased 3.2 W m-2 (11%). The enhanced diffuse radiation combined with the cooling increased plant photosynthesis by 0.07±0.02 µmol C m-2 s-1, which could contribute to an additional 3.8±1.1 Gt C yr-1 global gross primary productivity without explicit nutrient limitation. This increase could potentially increase the land carbon sink. Suppressed plant and soil respiration due to the cooling would reduce natural land carbon emission and therefore further enhance the terrestrial carbon sink during the geoengineering period. In conclusion, this potentially beneficial impact of stratospheric sulfate geoengineering would need to be balanced by a large number of potential risks in any future decisions about the implementation of geoengineering.

Research Organization:
Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States). Dept. of Environmental Sciences
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AGS-1157525; GEO-1240507
OSTI ID:
1375398
Journal Information:
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online), Vol. 16, Issue 3; ISSN 1680-7324
Publisher:
European Geosciences UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 44 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (13)

Adsorption of SO2 molecules on Fe-doped carbon nanotubes: the first principles study journal February 2019
Impacts of stratospheric sulfate geoengineering on tropospheric ozone journal January 2017
Quantifying and Comparing Effects of Climate Engineering Methods on the Earth System journal February 2018
Ozone–climate interactions and effects on solar ultraviolet radiation journal January 2019
Impacts of Sulfate Geoengineering on Rice Yield in China: Results From a Multimodel Ensemble journal April 2019
The Effects of Solar Radiation Management on the Carbon Cycle journal February 2018
An overview of the Earth system science of solar geoengineering: Overview of the earth system science of solar geoengineering journal July 2016
The G4Foam Experiment: global climate impacts of regional ocean albedo modification journal January 2017
Climate system response to stratospheric sulfate aerosols: sensitivity to altitude of aerosol layer journal January 2019
Studying the impact of biomass burning aerosol radiative and climate effects on the Amazon rainforest productivity with an Earth system model journal January 2019
Quantifying the effects of solar geoengineering on vegetation journal February 2019
The governance of solar geoengineering: by Jesse L. Reynolds, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2019, viii + 268 pp., indices, £69.99 (hardback), ISBN 978 1 107 16195 5; £26.99 (paperback), 978 1 316 61413 6 journal May 2020
The Response of Permafrost and High‐Latitude Ecosystems under Large‐Scale Stratospheric Aerosol Injection and its Termination text January 2019

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