A group of scientists from universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have released a new study calling for geoengineering of the climate in order to save the coral reefs from a process known as “bleaching.”
The researchers, including authors from the Carnegie Institution for Science, the University of Exeter, the Met Office Hadley Centre and the University of Queensland, call for geoengineering the climate using a practice known as Solar Radiation Management (SRM). This involves spraying aerosols from planes in an attempt to reflect the sun’s light with the purpose of preventing rising sea surface temperatures.
“Our work highlights the sort of climate scenarios that now need to be considered if the protection of coral reefs is a priority,” lead author Dr. Lester Kwiatkowski of the Carnegie Institution for Science told Exeter University.