Reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight back to space can offset warming, but only while the aerosol layer is actively maintained.
delta_T ~ forcing * (1 - albedo_boost)
albedo_boost ~ aerosol_coverage
- Grid resolution — how finely the regional temperature field is sampled across the domain.
- Aerosol coverage — fraction of the stratosphere seeded with reflective sulfate aerosol.
- Injection intensity — rate of aerosol injection driving the reflective effect.
- Natural cooling response — how strongly the modelled climate responds to the added reflectivity.
Real SRM proposals model exactly this trade-off — global cooling is achievable, but coverage that is too uneven risks disrupting regional rainfall patterns.