Hello Alvia et al.,
In my final interview for the documentary I was asked several times to identify what was the most important thing we learned from the multi-flare demonstration. I understood why they were asking but I couldn't satisfy them. They tried one last time. My exasperated "Bugger all!" was recorded but not used. Cheers, John. Quoting "Alvia Gaskill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Brighter World: Part 3 > > The salt flare testing continues. To monitor the formation of > potential CCN from the flares, Basil and the monitoring airplane > will fly through the dispersal area at several altitudes and use the > laser particle counter to measure the particles. If large numbers > of particle droplets are found at the right altitude, the basic > theory is proven. [Actually, what will be proven is that the water > vapor condensed on the man-made salt particles from the flares. As > previously noted, this is an intermediate step towards proving that > cloud brightness can be enhanced.] > > A single test flare is ignited, but doesn't produce any particles, > except at about 50 ft above the water. Also, the particles from > this flare don't rise either, due to lack of convection. Basil > climbs to 150 ft and finds no particles at all. They are being > scattered horizontally. > > Back in Florida, the Flettner prototype is readied for its first sea test. > > Returning to S. Africa, the team decides to ignite all the flares at > once. When this is done, a giant white cloud forms over the flare > boat at about 50 ft, the result of 30,000 billion salt particles > absorbing water vapor from the air. Flying through the cloud at 50 > ft, Basil sees lots of submicron particles 1/25,000 in. in diameter. > He then goes through the cloud at 200 ft and 300 ft and sees large > peaks from small particles at each altitude. > > The cloud that has formed is 1 mile wide and 3 miles long. Stephen > Salter calculates that the solar reflection from this cloud offsets > the GHG forcing from several large power plants, although it is > short lived. And how long did this cloud last or how long would > ones enhanced by this technology last? If the marine clouds come > and go fairly rapidly, won't this complicate the use of this > technology? Unlike white roofs, stratospheric aerosols or desert > covers, the cloud effect would be transient. Or does the large > number of square miles of clouds to be brightened offset any local > disappeance of the brightened clouds? > > Back in Florida again at the Flettner rotor testing. The Flettner > rotors will draw in seawater and produce the particles using an > atomizer. Now it is time for the sea trial of the prototype > cloudship. Salter has referred to it as Cloudia, but I don't > remember if it was called this in the program. > > The prototype is towed out to sea (no champagne bottle send off?). > To generate forward motion, the rotors must turn 3 times faster than > the prevailing winds. The winds, measured at 6.3 knots, cause the > rotors to turn fast enough for the boat to move on its own. Because > the stress caused by the turning of the rotors is distributed > across the 3 trimarans, the boat remains stable. The field test is > declared a success. > > Salter says that the goal should be to produce at least one fully > operational prototype within 5 years. > > Basil then heads off to BC to get some modeling data on potential > impacts of the cloud brightening technology from Dr. Andrew Weaver > at the U. of Victoria. Weaver's modeling shows that cloud > brightness enhancement slows the global temperature rise to 1 degree > C from pre-industrial. Why wouldn't it stop it altogether and what > conditions did Weaver use to arrive at the 1 degree conclusion? > > The narrator says it would cost $5.8 billion to build and operate > 1500 cloud ships. > > The critics weigh in. Daniel Schrag (Harvard) says one must be > aware that the cloud response to solar radiation is instantaneous > (and as I noted, the opposite is also true when the cloud goes > away). Richard Alley (Penn State, now ranked 4th due to easy > schedule), says there may be unintended consequences from creating > temperature differentials over the ocean. Salter in response, says > the process is completely reversible and incrementally testable. > > The narrator says that the technology may buy us time to develop > renewable energy sources, while treating the symptoms of global > warming. Salter says it can be used for emergency cooling. > > A discussion of the website information in the final installment of > Brighter World. > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
