United States Patent 5003186
Abstract:
A method is described for reducing atmospheric or global warming resulting from the presence of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, i.e., from the greenhouse effect. Such gases are relatively transparent to sunshine, but absorb strongly the long-wavelength infrared radiation released by the earth. The method incudes the step of seeding the layer of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere with particles of materials characterized by wavelength-dependent emissivity. Such materials include Welsbach materials and the oxides of metals which have high emissivity (and thus low reflectivities) in the visible and 8-12 micron infrared wavelength regions.
Shih, I-fu (Los Alamitos, CA)
Publication Date:
03/26/1991
Primary Examiner: Berman, Jack I.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sales, Michael W. Denson-low, Wanda
Claims:
What is claimed is:
1. A method of reducing atmospheric warming due to the greenhouse effect resulting from a layer of gases in the atmosphere which absorb strongly near infrared wavelength radiation, comprising the step of dispersing tiny particles of a material within the gases’ layer, the particle material characterized by wavelength-dependent emissivity or reflectivity, in that said material has high emissivities with respect to radiation in the visible and far infrared wavelength spectra, and low emissivity in the near infrared wavelength spectrum, whereby said tiny particles provide a means for converting infrared heat energy into far infrared radiation which is radiated into space.
2. The method of claim wherein said material comprises one or more of the oxides of metals.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said material comprises aluminum oxide.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said material comprises thorium oxide.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said particles are dispersed by seeding the stratosphere with a quantity of said particles at altitudes in the range of seven to thirteen kilometers above the earth’s surface.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the size of said particles is in the range of ten to one hundred microns.
7. The method of claim wherein said material comprises a refractory material.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said material is a Welsbach material.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of said dispersed particles per unit area in the particle layer is greater than or equal to 1/σabs 1, where 1 is the thickness of the particle layer and σabs is the absorption coefficient of the particles at the far infrared wavelengths.
10. A method for reducing atmospheric warming due to the greenhouse effect resulting from a greenhouse gases layer, comprising the following step:
seeding the greenhouse gases’ layer with a quantity of tiny particles of a material characterized by wavelength-dependent emissivity or reflectivity, in that said materials have high emissivities in the visible and far infrared wavelength spectra and low emissivity in the near infrared wavelength spectrum,
whereby said particles are suspended within said gases’ layer and provide a means for converting radiative energy at near infrared wavelengths into radiation at the far infrared wavelengths, permitting some of the converted radiation to escape into space.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said material comprises one or more of the oxides of metals.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein said material comprises aluminum oxide.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein said material is thorium oxide.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein said seeding is performed at altitudes in the range of seven to thirteen kilometers above the earth’s surface.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein said material comprises a refractory material.
16. The method of claim 10 wherein said particle size is in range of ten to one hundred microns.
17. The method of claim 10 wherein said material is a Welsbach material.
18. The method of claim 10 wherein the number of said dispersed particles per unit area in the particle layer is greater than or equal to 1/σabs 1, where 1 is the thickness of the particle layer and σabs is the absorption coefficient of the particles at the far infrared wavelengths.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for the reduction of global warming resulting from the greenhouse effect, and in particular to a method which involves the seeding of the earth’s stratosphere with Welsbach-like materials.
Global warming has been a great concern of many environmental scientists. Scientists believe that the greenhouse effect is responsible for global warming. Greatly increased amounts of heat-trapping gases have been generated since the Industrial Revolution. These gases, such as CO2, CFC, and methane, accumulate in the atmosphere and allow sunlight to stream in freely but block heat from escaping (greenhouse effect). These gases are relatively transparent to sunshine but absorb strongly the long-wavelength infrared radiation released by the earth.
Most current approaches to reduce global warming are to restrict the release of various greenhouse gases, such as CO2, CFC, and methane. These imply the need to establish new regulations and the need to monitor various gases and to enforce the regulations.
One proposed solution to the problem of global warming involves the seeding of the atmosphere with metallic particles. One technique proposed to seed the metallic particles was to add the tiny particles to the fuel of jet airliners, so that the particles would be emitted from the jet engine exhaust while the airliner was at its cruising altitude. While this method would increase the reflection of visible light incident from space, the metallic particles would trap the long wavelength blackbody radiation released from the earth. This could result in net increase in global warming.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for reduction of global warming due to the greenhouse effect which permits heat to escape through the atmosphere.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method is disclosed for reducing atmospheric warming due to the greenhouse effect resulting from a greenhouse gases layer. The method comprises the step of seeding the greenhouse gas layer with a quantity of tiny particles of materials characterized by wavelength-dependent emissivity or reflectivity, in that said materials have high emissivities in the visible and far infrared wavelength regions and low emissivity in the near infrared wavelength region. Such materials can include the class of materials known as Welsbach materials. The oxides of metal, e.g., aluminum oxide, are also suitable for the purpose. The greenhouse gases layer typically extends between about seven and thirteen kilometers above the earth’s surface. The seeding of the stratosphere occurs within this layer. The particles suspended in the stratosphere as a result of the seeding provide a mechanism for converting the blackbody radiation emitted by the earth at near infrared wavelengths into radiation in the visible and far infrared wavelength so that this heat energy may be reradiated out into space, thereby reducing the global warming due to the greenhouse effect.
Now this is interesting as it sounds a lot like the Chinese “rain maker” where using aircraft dispersant or artillery rounds shoot into the sky tiny fragments of aluminium and other materials to create precipitation which with enough can create rainfall pretty much anywhere.
Also didn’t the Chinese come up with a way to patch the Ozone hole using a similar technology?
Not surprising looking at those names there either where this has come from lol
Anything these “world leaders” and I use that term loosely, decide to spray above my head will always be suspect. I see what change has brought thus far…..
They left out the part that cloud persistence from “stratospheric cloud seeding” retains day heat and prevents night cooling, which would contribute to warming.
More disinformation from jackasses disguised as human beings.
Could it be they are creating a “plausible” reason for them C130’s spraying the skies?
If we go back to the H1N1 ahem cough cough “outbreak” (Amazingly Obama manages to shake hands with one of the ground zero contaminants and didn’t get a shiver but the bloke he shook hands with was dead within 24 hours) there were stories screaming around the alternative media about black painted, unmarked C130’s spraying Ukrainian towns and then the stories of plague like illnesses started coming in but the official newswires didn’t carry one story about Ukraines plague type contagions sweeping whole areas… bit odd that don’t you think? (He says not mentioning the fact Baxter Roche’s secret Ukrainian laboratory was bang in the middle of these towns)