Základní techniky geoinženýrinku ve stratosféře: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)

• Thesis title in Czech: Základní techniky geoinženýrinku ve stratosféře: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)
• Thesis title in English: Basic Techniques of Geoengineering in the Stratosphere: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)
• Key words: geoinženýrink|stratosféra|Stratospheric Aerosol Injection|SAI
• English key words: Geoengineering|Stratosphere|Stratospheric Aerosol Injection|SAI
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2025/2026
• Thesis type: Bachelor's thesis
• Department: Department of Atmospheric Physics (32-KFA)
• Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Petr Pišoft, Ph.D.

Guidelines

This bachelor's thesis focuses on basic geoengineering techniques in the stratosphere, with a particular emphasis on the method of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). The thesis will include an overview of SAI principles, its potential benefits and risks, and the processing of model experiments (using the WACCM4 model within the ARISE or GLENS projects). The aim is to analyze the effects of SAI on climatic conditions.

References

1. Smith, W. (2022). Pandora's toolbox: The hopes and hazards of climate intervention. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009008877

2. Smith, W. D., & Wagner, G. (2018). Stratospheric aerosol injection tactics and costs in the first 15 years of deployment. Environmental Research Letters, 13(1), 014001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aae98d

3. Zhang, Y., MacMartin, D. G., Visioni, D., Bednarz, E. M., and Kravitz, B.: Hemispherically symmetric strategies for stratospheric aerosol injection, Earth Syst. Dynam., 15, 191–213, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-191-2024, 2024.

4. Wells, A. F., Henry, M., Bednarz, E. M., MacMartin, D. G., Jones, A., Dalvi, M., & Haywood, J. M. (2024). Identifying climate impacts from different stratospheric aerosol injection strategies in UKESM1. Earth's Future, 12, e2023EF004358. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF004358.

5. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25762.

6. Li, Q., Meidan, D., Hess, P. et al. Global environmental implications of atmospheric methane removal through chlorine-mediated chemistry-climate interactions. Nat Commun 14, 4045 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39794-7.

7. Gorham, K. A., Abernethy, S., Jones, T. R., Hess, P., Mahowald, N. M., Meidan, D., Johnson, M. S., van Herpen, M. M. J. W., Xu, Y., Saiz-Lopez, A., Röckmann, T., Brashear, C. A., Reinhardt, E., and Mann, D.: Opinion: A research roadmap for exploring atmospheric methane removal via iron salt aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5659–5670, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5659-2024, 2024.

8. Ming, T., Li, W., Yuan, Q., Davies, P., De Richter, R., Peng, C., Deng, Q., Yuan, Y., Caillol, S. and Zhou, N., 2022. Perspectives on removal of atmospheric methane. Adv. Appl. Energy 2022, 5, 100085, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adapen.2022.100085

Preliminary scope of work

Stratosférická aerosolová injekce (SAI) je jednou z nejdiskutovanějších technik geoinženýrinku s potenciálem zmírnit globální oteplování. V rámci této práce se studentky a studenti seznámí s principy SAI, včetně metod vpravení aerosolů do stratosféry a jejich vlivu na albedo Země. Budou také analyzovat výsledky modelových simulací, které pomohou pochopit, jak SAI ovlivňuje klimatické podmínky na globální úrovni. Tato technika představuje zásadní krok v reakci klimatické změny, avšak nese s sebou řadu environmentálních otázek, které bude práce také zkoumat.

Preliminary scope of work in English

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) is one of the most debated geoengineering techniques with the potential to mitigate global warming. This thesis will introduce students to the principles of SAI, including methods for injecting aerosols into the stratosphere and their effects on Earth's albedo. Students will analyze model simulation results to understand how SAI impacts global climate conditions. This technique represents a crucial step in reaction to climate change, but it also carries several environmental issues that the thesis will explore.