Photophoretic levitation of engineered aerosols for geoengineering

Photophoretic levitation of engineered aerosols for geoengineering [1]

Additional image::

Aerosols could be injected into the upper atmosphere to engineer the climate by scattering incident sunlight so as to produce a cooling tendency that may mitigate the risks posed by the accumulation of greenhouse gases. Analysis of climate engineering has focused on sulfate aerosols. Here I examine the possibility that engineered nanoparticles could exploit photophoretic forces, enabling more control over particle distribution and lifetime than is possible with sulfates, perhaps allowing climate engineering to be accomplished with fewer side effects. The use of electrostatic or magnetic materials enables a class of photophoretic forces not found in nature.

Publication Date:

20/09/2010

Author(s): avid W. Keith [2]

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [3]

Vol:

107

Issue:

pp:

16428

Tags: