A team of DMF-funded scientists in Benin found that SRM could reduce the impacts of global warming on sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Guinea, both due to a reduction of solar radiation, and also due to its effect on wind patterns.
Sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Guinea plays a central role in the distribution of rainfall and the region’s annual monsoon, which is essential for West African rain-fed agriculture. It also affects marine life, and therefore fisheries, which provide an important source of nutrition and income for regional communities.
Under a high global warming scenario, sea surface temperatures in the Gulf are expected to rise by more than 1.5°C, causing considerable disruption to regional economies. The paper found that SRM could reduce that rise, albeit by different mechanisms in different areas. However, it may also slightly overcompensate for the effects of climate change in the northern Gulf of Guinea.
Impact of Stratospheric Geoengineering on Sea Surface Temperature in the Northern Gulf of Guinea in Climate by Francis F. B. K. Ayissi, Casimir Y. Da Allada, Ezinvi Baloïtcha, Simone Tilmes, and Peter J. Irvine