Atmospheric modification and geoengineering

What is atmospheric modification?

Atmospheric modification could include any attempt to alter the composition of the atmosphere to try to change local weather patterns or affect the climate to curb global temperature rise.

Geoengineering is often reserved for those actions which attempt to curb the greatest impacts of climate change, while weather modification is usually taken to refer to those actions, such as cloud-seeding, to alter the weather in local areas across short time scales.

There is misinformation on social media suggesting the condensation trails (contrails) from high-altitude aircraft are visual signs of attempts to alter the atmosphere or for other nefarious purposes. The term chemtrails is sometimes used to suggest that the condensation contains added chemicals. Despite numerous claims, there is no evidence to support such suggestions.

Altering local weather patterns may seem attractive in some circumstances. For example, inhabitants of some drier regions of the world may want to induce rainfall, through cloud seeding. Cloud-seeding programmes have been carried out in some countries in other parts of the world.

The Met Office does not undertake any practical or theoretical research into weather modification.

What is geoengineering?

Altering the global atmosphere to curb some of the worst impacts of climate change may be considered by some to sit alongside other forms of action to reduce climate change impacts. To help policy makers reach future decisions on the risks and merits of geoengineering, the Met Office conducts research using computer models of the world’s atmosphere. Some of these impacts show potentially hazardous effects on the environment, such as differential regional imbalances on global rainfall.

Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is sometimes included within geoengineering. However, simply removing carbon dioxide which has already been emitted by human action is atmospheric restoration rather than modification.

The Met Office does not recommend any atmospheric intervention that involves adding chemicals or substances to the atmosphere, such as injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight back into space.

The misinformation you may encounter

• The Met Office is involved in atmospheric modification such as cloud seeding.

Our response: The Met Office does not engage in adding substances to the atmosphere in order to modify it. The Met Office does not undertake any practical or theoretical research into weather modification.

 

• The Met Office promotes geoengineering.

Our response: To help policy makers reach future decisions on the merits or risks of geoengineering, the Met Office has conducted theoretical research on the efficacy and potential impacts from geoengineering techniques upon the climate system using computer models of the world’s atmosphere. Some of these impacts show potentially dangerous effects on regional and national climate, such as significant changes in rainfall patterns.

The Met Office does not promote any atmospheric interventions.

 

Read more on the Met Office position on geoengineering research.

BBC Verify recently published an article debunking myths around weather modification and geoengineering.