Atmospheric scientists associated with the University of Washington began a marine cloud brightening experiment in April on the decommissioned aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet docked in Alameda, California. They are preliminarily probing whether or not marine cloud brightening could work as a way to cool our warming planet by deflecting sunlight back into space. The basic idea is to mimic the cloud-brightening effects produced by the emissions of sulfur dioxide along the tracks of ocean-going cargo ships. As it happens, stringent fuel regulations adopted in 2020 have significantly cut cargo ship sulfur dioxide emissions, which permits more sunlight to reach the surface. This, somewhat ironically, has resulted in rising temperatures.
