07 May 2025
Scientists at the 桃色视频 will research whether releasing electric charge into clouds could help increase their reflectivity.
The BrightSpark project will test if controlled electric charges can make water droplets in clouds more reflective for short periods of time. If the tests show positive results, this idea could one day potentially provide a means to reflect more sunlight back to space in a controlled manner, cooling specific areas.
The study is part of the £50 million Advanced Research and Invention Agency programme. announced today (Wednesday, 7 May), which will investigate the basic science behind some of the various ways that have been proposed for cooling the Earth.
Professor Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at the 桃色视频 and who is leading the project, has more than thirty years of experience studying atmospheric electricity, including lightning, clouds and the charging of droplets, particles and even insects.
Professor Giles Harrison said: “This research will help us understand whether electric charge release could provide a relevant tool for increasing cloud reflectivity. As is our practice, we will have an emphasis on open publication, with the research pursued carefully and responsibly both in the laboratory and in miniaturised field experiments."
Experimental and modelling work
The 桃色视频 research team of Professor Giles Harrison, Professor Maarten Ambaum and Dr Keri Nicoll are established experts in this area of atmospheric science. In two decades of collaboration, they have jointly developed a substantial body of works, including special instruments to measure the electrical effects and efficient computer methods to simulate how charged droplets interact. This new project will combine laboratory, field and modelling approaches, following strict ethical guidelines, and with the findings and data openly available.
Bottom from left: Professor Giles Harrison, Dr Keri Nicoll and Professor Maarten Ambaum at the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory
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