Research Initiative Goals
At the direction of Congress, NOAA has launched a multi-year research initiative to investigate natural and human activities that might alter the chemistry and reflectivity of the stratosphere, or the reflectivity of the marine boundary layer, through the addition of aerosols, and to understand the potential impacts on the Earth system. These activities include proposed climate intervention approaches to influence climate warming by reflecting sunlight from the atmosphere, which require extensive scientific research and assessment.
NOAA has established three primary research goals:
- Improving our understanding of the energy balance of the Earth system
- Establishing a capability to observe and monitor stratospheric conditions
- Detecting and accurately simulating the impacts of natural and human-caused aerosol injections in the stratosphere and troposphere on Earth's radiation balance, weather and climate patterns, and other Earth systems
ERB funding supports four types of research projects:
- Second, models of stratospheric and tropospheric responses to increases in stratospheric aerosol loading are being developed and improved.
- Third, model investigations are also exploring the potential for aerosol injections to increase the reflectivity, or brighten, low-altitude marine clouds.
- Fourth, laboratory studies to investigate potential stratospheric solar radiation modification (SRM) materials. Please refer to the Projects for more information on a specific project.
The first is to develop and leverage observational methods, including balloons and high-altitude aircraft, to understand baseline aerosol conditions in the stratosphere.
The research is designed to support improved observation and assessment of stratospheric processes and Earth's radiation budget as a part of NOAA's mission to support public safety and environmental sustainability. These projects are geared both towards producing immediate results and building a foundation for future research.