Posted on 09/02/2011 7:43:41 AM PDT by Red Badger
In what to some might seem almost ludicrous, (think Dr. Stranglove,) a British team of geo-engineers are set to launch a giant balloon a half mile into the sky pulling with it a water hose that will then spray water pumped from the ground, into the air. But this is only the beginning; the idea is to see if such a system is feasible. The real goal is to see if it might be possible to send such a giant balloon much higher, say twice as high as airplanes fly, so as to release aerosols into the atmosphere to mimic the impact volcanoes have when they erupt. That is to cause a planetary cooling effect, to offset the warming effect of all the carbon emissions still being pumped full time into air. And thats not all, the project dubbed Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE), is being backed by the British government, via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Most would agree that we do have a problem on our hands, the Earth is slowly growing warmer, threatening water and food supplies, if not eventually our very existence. Many question however, the wisdom of pumping aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect some of the suns heat back into space, rather than simply figuring out a way to stop adding more carbon emissions.
The initial test of the plan is slated to be carried out next month in an undisclosed location. There the team will send up a smaller version of the eventual behemoth, somewhere around two thirds of a mile (about a kilometer) high. In this test, nothing but water will be squirted into the air, though some suggest they might also try something called low-level cloud whitening, which is where sea salt would be pumped up and then dispersed into the air to increase the reflectivity of clouds.
If successful, the team would then set to work in constructing the actual product, a balloon that some say would have to be as big as Wembley stadium and would weigh as much as several double-decker busses (this is a British project after all). Then, the balloon would be sent aloft to a height of twelve miles or so (20 kilometers) carrying with it something akin to a very long garden hose. Once up, a mixture of sulphates and/or aerosols would be pumped up the hose and then into the air, which would then, theoretically start reflecting heat back out into space; saving us all in the process.
If the mechanics of the project do eventually work as planned, there will likely be much debate about actually carrying out its mission, as some will undoubtedly be very much against carrying out a mission where no one really knows what might happen.
LOL! They don’t even understand the climate well enough to even understand how to affect it or where the planet’s temp should be set at in the first place.
Well up to 1 mile you are ok. Up to the heights they are talking, they plan to switch to aerosols.
I don’t believe any pump exists that can do this.
Quip of the day ;-)
I would like for them to take their little balloon and drop some water over Texas. My land, in particular.
Sounds like a load of tosh to me, but nonetheless I prefer potential methods of climate change ‘control’ that involve balloons and hosepipes rather than ones that include huge fuel taxes and me having to sell my V8’s! :)
Brilliant perspective, and 100% correct.
Just sayin'...
It’s like the glue and paper the teacher gave the dumb kids.
Not useful, but it keeps them occupied.
Otherwise, they’re disruptive.
Good Point. Dirigibles did use water for ballast, and would dump ballast.
The pictures I've seen were during docking maneuvers, though.
A much better idea makes a lot more sense. A California airship company created plans to make a firefighting airship that would make a superb complement to the helicopters and fixed wing aircraft used today.
This is both because an airship can carry a much greater load of water, and it doesn’t have to drop it all at once, but can do the equivalent of a very heavy rainfall either directly on a fire or to create a wet barrier to a fire. It can also descend a fire hose, guided by wires, to drop its water offset from any heat column rising from the fire.
Unfortunately the company went out of business before they could build the prototype.
Call it a "party flight" and sell tickets.
[ What DUMBASSES!
Even if GW was a real threat, this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what should be done, as the primary greenhouse gas in our atmosphere is WATER VAPOR! ]
Depending on the state of water in the air ( transparent vapour vs. opaque clouds ) it can be a greenhouse gas (vapour) or a reflector of suns rays back into space (clouds).
Anyways CO2 is not what is causing climate “change”, I think it is RR, that stands for “Roads and Rooftops”. The change of the local climates or “micro-climates” caused by the change of reflectivity of roofs and roads in urbanized areas create a “micro-climate” which has a far greater effect on weather systems.
Ever notice how in the winter the snow on the grass in urban areas melts a lot quicker than the snow in the nearby rural areas? This is the micro climate. Also funny is how a lot of “temprature stations” that were built 50+ years ago outside cities are now surrounded by roads, and houses? No wonder those temprature sensors have seen increases in the local tempratures.... The city expanded around them and brought the micro-climate with them.
To paraphrase James Carvile:
It is not the CO2, it is the Roads and Rooftops Stuipid!
Of course the urban city loving eco-tards don’t wanna admit that the cities they love to live in are a direct cause of their skewed data. They think that cities will be fine if everyone trades their SUV in for a bike, the roads and rooftops will still be there even if they are solar panels and bike trails.
CO2 is not as big of an issue we think it is.
I’m going to pass on a major money saving tip, since you mentioned “rooftops”.
You can SIGNIFICANTLY cut your cooling bills in the summer by.... dun duhn duh!::::: watering your roof.
Use evaporative cooling to cool the top of your house, and your AC doesn’t have to remove that heat from your house.
This is ridiculous.
1. Massive pumps giving massive pressures.
2. Hoses that could withstand that pressure.
3. A ballon that could live the massive hoses to 35,000 feet or so.
No way to make this work.
And of course, the real killers:
1. The last three feet of hose would have to support 35,000 ft of high pressure hose plus the weight of the water. Big hose.
2. The sail area of the hose would be considerable and the balloon would not be stable.
I don't need some crop of overeducated bungholes half-way around the world making my winters longer or worse.
Easily. Positive displacement triplex oilfield pumps could put out that much pressure. But they are all busy pumping drilling mud on oil rigs (I hope!).
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