Buying more timeStudying the climate impacts of cloud-aerosol interactions
Big Picture
Clouds reflect sunlight back to space. The more water droplets inside a cloud, the more bright it is, the longer it lasts, and the more sunlight it bounces back to space. If enough sunlight is reflected, these brighter, longer-lasting clouds producing cooling effects locally and globally. As such, it is a potential approach to mitigate global warming and its most dangerous effects. Yet, there’s still a lot left to learn.
How it Works
The Marine Cloud Brightening Project (MCBP) is an open, international collaboration of atmospheric scientists and other experts dedicated to advancing our understanding of cloud responses to aerosol particles. MCP seeks to advance science in this area by developing research frameworks and associated technologies that will allow the scientific community to conduct crucial experiments.
Unfair Advantage
PARC, University of Washington’s technical partner in this work, is refining a patented spray technology to develop nozzles capable of emitting particles at a sufficient quantity and velocity to conduct cloud brightening field experiments. These experiments will be tightly controlled efforts designed to get particles to “loft” high up in the sky and for long enough they can encounter clouds.
SARAH DOHERTY PROGRAM MANAGER
Dr. Doherty previously ran the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project. She holds a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from University of Washington.
ROBERT WOOD PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Wood is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington. He holds a PhD from the University of Manchester.
Marine Cloud Brightening Fact Sheet
University of Washington
Cloud, Aerosol and Boundary Layer Structure across the Northeast Pacific Stratocumulus-Cumulus Transition as observed during CSET
American Meteorological Society
Cloud System Evolution in the Trades
American Meteorological Society