Abstract:
Paris 2015: politicians agree on the 1.5 K goal of maximum temperature rise, which would require a very fast transition to a fossil-free economy. But attempts to initiate the decrease of CO2 emissions have not been very successful in the last years. Additionally, carbon capture and storage have not been proven yet to be available large scale in the near future. In this situation solar radiation management (SRM) may become an important issue. Therefore, numerical model studies on possible risks and side effects for crucial parts of the Earth system and human kind were performed.
Different techniques of reducing incoming solar radiation have been proposed, among them is the injection of sulfur into the stratosphere. Using an aerosol microphysical model, limits and uncertainties of this technique have been estimated. Stratospheric sulfur injections does not only impact surface climate. The aerosols absorb radiation and heat the stratosphere which has consequences for stratospheric dynamics. One example is the shut down of the quasi-biennial oscillation in the tropical stratosphere. This impact has been studied extensively with the general circulation model ECHAM-HAM.
However, different models show different impact on stratospheric dynamics. In a joint effort with NCAR reasons for the different results in ECHAM-HAM and WACCM were identified.
What is the Joint Oslo Seminar (JOS):
Atmospheric and climate sciences have a stronghold in Oslo among the four institutions University of Oslo, the Meteorological Institute, CICERO and NILU. This joint seminar invites renowned international experts to contribute to an informal series of lectures, meant to create interaction with the Oslo atmospheric and climate science community on recent highlights and analysis in the field. All seminars will be held on Thursdays (Noon -1pm) and lunch (sandwiches) will be served on a “first-come-first-served”-basis.