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Ocean warming is important. If it is caused not only by the CO2 greenhouse effect but also by increased insolation, reduced evaporative cooling and the lowered albedo of smoothed water, we need to know.
Suggested Research.
May I tentatively suggest worthwhile areas of research into the extent of this Anthropogenic Local Warming (ALW)?
A. Evans and Ruf (2) have used the CYGNSS satellites to search for areas of smooths associated with microplastic pollution. Further research suggests that the smoothing they detected has more to do with surfactant pollution than with microplastics, but the source of that pollution is puzzling – thin films are supposed to oxidise rapidly. Their techniques could be used to quantify the world area of smooths. This is the vital first step. Cost £++
Experiments on albedo change caused by smoothing have been carried out, see https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.07021 (3). Cost £++
B. Certain lakes and seas, gulfs etc are warming at anomalous rates. A survey of data relating to warming for lakes such as Michigan, Superior, Tanganyika, Baikal, and the North and Baltic seas, the Black Sea etc. The Sea of Marmara (which is warming at twice the global rate, with huge diatom blooms) will, I believe, prove to be the canary in the coal mine for combined sewage, nutrient run-off and surface pollution effects. If a literature search (the cheapest option) confirms the high rates of warming in certain water bodies then hands-on research would be justified. Cost £+ to £+++ Quantifying a molecules-thick film will be an interesting challenge.
C. Deliberately polluting clean water bodies with oil/surfactant mixtures. However, the SeaWifs data shows that it might prove difficult to find unpolluted lakes. (See “Up In Smoke” (1)) Cost £++
D. A search through satellite imagery to examine oil spills and cloud structures above them. The Deepwater Horizon satellite images show areas which the fond eye of someone with a theory could interpret as cloud suppression. Archive video of the Shetland Braer disaster will, if I recall correctly, show cloud ablation which may indicate reduced lifetime for oil polluted droplets. Cost £+
E. Literature search of sea surface temperature and ship loss records from the North Atlantic in WWII. An experiment of large-scale oil spillage on a major ocean has actually been carried out, namely the Battle of the Atlantic. Professor Tom Wigley’s ‘blip’ may have an explanation. (4) Cost £+
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