Stratospheric sulfate aerosols and planetary albedo

A considerable cooling of the Earth's surface has been observed after major volcanic eruptions that injected large amounts of sulfur into the stratosphere. The enhanced burden of sulfate aerosols resulted in an increase of the planetary albedo and a significant decrease of incoming solar radiation. This effect is often reported as an analogue to proposed solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering schemes. Model studies have indicated that the artificial injection of sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere, in conjunction with aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, may forestall or prevent temperatures from rising and Arctic sea ice from melting until greenhouse gas levels subside. Such a climate engineering approach may be relatively inexpensive, but would impact stratospheric chemistry and dynamics, as well as the hydrological cycle.