As carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to climb, interest in geoengineering is growing as governments, researchers, and environmental advocates search for ways to limit the worst effects of climate change. These large scale climate interventions could influence rainfall, agriculture, and ecosystems around the world, making their potential benefits and risks equally significant.
A new study from climate scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara suggests that not all geoengineering strategies have the same consequences. While one proposed method could severely disrupt one of Earth's most important climate cycles, another appears to have little impact. The findings, published in Earth's Future, highlight why researchers say every proposal must be carefully evaluated before it is ever put into practice.
"We need to be careful about implementing geoengineering proposals before we fully understand what's going to happen," said first author Chen Xing, a doctoral student at UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.
Why El Niño Matters
Xing and fellow Bren graduate student Cali Pfleger began the project to better understand how geoengineering might affect marine ecosystems. That question quickly led them to examine the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major driver of ocean and atmospheric conditions.
