Michael

Ocean Visions releases roadmap for Arctic sea ice repair research

Summary of proposed solar radiation modification methods that could help slow or reverse the loss of Arctic sea ice.

Ocean Visions, a “non-profit organization that catalyzes innovation at the intersection of the ocean and climate crises“, has released an interactive and evolving research roadmap into methods to slow or reverse the loss of Arctic sea ice. Michael has served on the scientific advisory board for the project since 2023, focusing on the solar radiation modification sections.

Developing effective methods to lessen damage to ecosystems in the near-term while we cease emissions and permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can offer a path for maintaining and repairing marine ecosystems and climate over the long-term.
Ocean Visions’ Principles Guiding Our Work on Marine Ecosystem Repair

Michael participates in “Sharing Sámi Experiences: Indigenous Voices on Climate Intervention Research” side event during UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Full video of the “Sharing Sámi Experiences: Indigenous Voices on Climate Intervention Research” event hosted by the the Sámi Parliament of Finland, in partnership with Operaatio Arktis, SilverLining, and Green Africa Youth Organization, at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations.

It was very exciting to participate in the “Sharing Sámi Experiences: Indigenous Voices on Climate Intervention Research” event at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations! Many thanks to the Sámi Parliament of Finland, SilverLining, Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), and Operaatio Arktis for organizing and for the invitation to speak about climate intervention research. I learned a lot about the role indigenous peoples in general and the Sámi in particular can play in advancing responsible research into climate solutions and the importance of including their perspectives from the start, and I look forward to continuing this important conversation.

18 APR 2024, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Permanent Forum of Finland. CREDIT: SARAH BLESENER

Lili presents her research on cloud changes from shipping regulations at Florida air quality workshop

Lili had the opportunity to present her recent results at the University of Florida’s Air Quality Workshop. Lili’s research has involved investigating how different methods for calculating cloud droplet number concentration can impact the observed signal of a major shipping corridor in the Southeast Atlantic before and after changes to international regulations on sulfur content in shipping fuels. Her findings suggest that while all filtering methods consistently show changes to the increase of droplet number concentrations in the years following the shipping regulation, the relative difference is large enough between the sampling methods that the filtering used to calculate droplet number concentration is an important consideration for quantifying aerosol-cloud interactions.

Jay presents their UROP project at FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium

Congrats to group member Jay Brunelli for presenting a poster about their Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) project at the FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium! Jay’s UROP research has involved investigating shifts in defined “climate zones” like tropical and polar regions under future scenarios involving different greenhouse gas emission trajectories and/or stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). Their findings so far suggest that SAI can reduce shifts in climate zones compared to a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario without SAI, and thus reduce climate impacts and the need for rapid adaptation, but not as efficiently as having never emitted those greenhouse gases in the first place.

Michael’s paper on detecting cloud changes from ship regulations receives 2023 ACP Paul Crutzen Publication Award

**Figure 1** from Diamond (2023), showing that strong cloud perturbations from ship pollution before the IMO 2020 marine fuel sulfur regulations largely disappear after their implementation. Shading shows the size of cloud droplets forming in the region.

It is a huge honor to have my paper on detecting cloud changes due to recent pollution reductions driven by International Maritime Organization regulations jointly receive the 2023 ACP Paul Crutzen Publication Award. Many thanks to the selection committee and the editors, as well as my incredible colleagues and mentors throughout the years who have helped me to get to where I am today.

The ACP Paul Crutzen Award “was created to recognize an outstanding publication in ACP that advances our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and physics. The annual award was created in honour of Paul Crutzen, Nobel Prize laureate and former director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, who played a pivotal role in the creation of the journal 22 years ago.”

In 2020, international law imposed strong restrictions on sulfur emissions from the international shipping industry. In this study, sophisticated statistical techniques were used to compare cloud droplet size and reflectivity before and after the law was implemented, finding strong evidence that droplet sizes have increased and that clouds have darkened, resulting in a significant local warming effect. In addition to their geophysical significance, the results provide independent evidence for general compliance with the 2020 regulations. The award committee described the paper as innovative and timely, with high societal relevance.
Award Citation

You can read more from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics news item at: https://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/about/news_and_press/2024-03-26_the-2023-acp-paul-crutzen-publication-award.html