United Nations Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue: SilverLining Submission on Marine Atmosphere Research
Source: Christopher Michel
As part of our efforts to improve society’s understanding of key influences on near-term climate change, SilverLining provided input to the 2024 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue. This activity within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is designed to elicit scientific and technical input to strengthen ocean-based climate action.
Our statement highlights the need for a wide network of observations of the marine atmosphere and scientific study of marine cloud-aerosol effects to support efforts on ocean-climate change. We also point to the urgent need for enhanced technical and financial capacity for scientists in the Global South to participate equitably in research on atmospheric aerosols and marine observations.
According to UNESCO’s recently published State of the Ocean Report 2024, the ocean is warming at twice the rate it was twenty years ago. Warming of the seas now accounts for approximately 40% of the global rise in sea levels and is expected to continue, with consequences for ocean life, coasts, weather and global climate change.
Atmospheric Observations: Marine Aerosols
After greenhouse gases, anthropogenic pollution aerosols represent the second-largest human influence on climate change. Recent studies and discussions among scientists have highlighted changes in pollution aerosols above the world’s oceans as a possible significant factor in driving this increased warming.
However, atmospheric monitoring capabilities face major gaps in their ability to characterize the present-day composition of the atmosphere. Among these are large observation gaps over the oceans, which cover approximately 70% of the Earth's surface. International efforts supporting ocean-climate action would benefit greatly from substantial investments in technology to support ocean-based observations with a focus on marine aerosols.
Research and Assessment: Marine Cloud Brightening
Interventions in the climate system to reduce warming by increasing the reflection of sunlight from clouds and particles in the atmosphere, notably marine cloud brightening, may provide options for protecting the safety of the world’s people and the stability of its natural systems while society reduces greenhouse gas emissions and transitions to a sustainable future.
Reports from UNEP, UNESCO, the United States, Canada, and the EU and new initiatives such as the World Climate Research Program’s Lighthouse Activity on Climate Intervention call for increased research on and assessment of climate interventions like marine cloud brightening to support international decision making. Additionally, decisions adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity recognize the value of small-scale research studies and call for increased transdisciplinary research in this area. [1]
Capacity Building: Global South Investments
The unique implications of climate change on the Global South cannot be overlooked. There exists a parallel, urgent need for enhanced technical and financial capacity for scientists in the Global South to participate equitably in research on atmospheric aerosols and marine observations. The lack of scientific capacity has its origins in the difficulty faced by the Global South to quickly access resources for scientific personnel and tools, funding for researchers, infrastructure for data, and substantial computing capacity, including access to cloud computing. The complexity of the problem increases given that the computing and related technical expertise required for marine climate research is among the greatest in any area of human endeavor and requires both substantial funding and access to advanced computing capabilities.
Read our submitted statement for more information and for our detailed recommendations.
[1] For example, CBD Decision XIII/14, paragraph 5 states: “Also notes that more transdisciplinary research and sharing of knowledge among appropriate institutions is needed in order to better understand the impacts of climate-related geoengineering on biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, socio-economic, cultural and ethical issues and regulatory options”