Inadequate Emergency Climate Interventions and Response
There is a critical need for more precise, rapid, and localized climate intervention strategies. Current approaches lack the fine-grained models and rapid response mechanisms required to adapt to diverse climate impacts, such as heatwaves, which demand swift and effective action. The ability to control local weather phenomena—including cloud formation and hurricanes—could help mitigate climate risks.
Foundational Capabilities (13)
Retrofit existing vessels and aircraft with advanced sensors to systematically measure aerosol–cloud interactions in situ, improving our understanding and models.
Explore strategies to divert or mitigate the impact of hurricanes using advanced atmospheric control methods.
Global ARGO-like sensors for deep ocean currents. We have relatively sparse ocean data compared to atmospheric data. Initiatives like Argo floats ( ~4,000 drifting sensors) have collected over two million ocean profiles of temperature and salinity, providing a crucial 3D view of the oceans.
Expanding such efforts (more floats, deeper measurements, biogeochemical sensors) and releasing the data in unified formats could enable AI to model ocean currents, carbon uptake, and climate patterns like El Niño with greater skill. A gap remains in high-resolution, full-depth ocean data that AI models could exploit for improved climate forecasts.
Explore the concept of using satellite constellations (like Starlink) to perform atmospheric tomography, thereby building a 3D picture of atmospheric dynamics.
Assess the feasibility of using cloud seeding techniques to stimulate precipitation and modulate local weather conditions in a controlled manner.
Establish protocols and infrastructure for banking backups of power transformers to mitigate the impact of solar flare-induced disruptions.
Develop dynamic models that incorporate microbial, hydrological, and climate-driven processes to better capture methane/N₂O feedback loops.
Develop detailed models that capture the local impacts of climate change (e.g., heatwaves) and implement responsive strategies to minimize harm and adapt to changing conditions.
Enhance predictive models for solar flares using advanced data analytics and observation techniques to better forecast solar activity.
Note: NASA spends $0.8 bn/yr on heliophysics.
Develop improved sensor technologies for airborne particulates, e.g., hyperspectral and lidar-based remote sensing for aerosol particle size, type, and radiative forcing potential