Articles | Volume 24, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5659-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5659-2024
Opinion
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15 May 2024
Opinion | Highlight paper |  | 15 May 2024

Opinion: A research roadmap for exploring atmospheric methane removal via iron salt aerosol

Katrine A. Gorham, Sam Abernethy, Tyler R. Jones, Peter Hess, Natalie M. Mahowald, Daphne Meidan, Matthew S. Johnson, Maarten M. J. W. van Herpen, Yangyang Xu, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, Thomas Röckmann, Chloe A. Brashear, Erika Reinhardt, and David Mann

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Aschwanden, A., Bartholomaus, T. C., Brinkerhoff, D. J., and Truffer, M.: Brief communication: A roadmap towards credible projections of ice sheet contribution to sea level, The Cryosphere, 15, 5705–5715, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5705-2021, 2021. 
Atkinson, R., Baulch, D. L., Cox, R. A., Crowley, J. N., Hampson, R. F., Hynes, R. G., Jenkin, M. E., Rossi, M. J., Troe, J., and IUPAC Subcommittee: Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume II – gas phase reactions of organic species, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3625–4055, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3625-2006, 2006. 
Azar, C., Martin, J. G., Johansson, D. J. A., and Sterner, T.: The social cost of methane, Climatic Change, 176, 71, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-023-03540-1, 2023. 
Bock, M., Schmitt, J., Beck, J., Seth, B., Chappellaz, J., and Fischer, H.: Glacial/interglacial wetland, biomass burning, and geologic methane emissions constrained by dual stable isotopic CH4 ice core records, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, E5778–E5786, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613883114, 2017. 
Bondy, A. L., Wang, B., Laskin, A., Craig, R. L., Nhliziyo, M. V., Bertman, S. B., Pratt, K. A., Shepson, P. B., and Ault, A. P.: Inland Sea Spray Aerosol Transport and Incomplete Chloride Depletion: Varying Degrees of Reactive Processing Observed during SOAS, Environ. Sci. Technol., 51, 9533–9542, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b02085, 2017. 
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Executive editor
The article is an interesting and provocative paper that derives its ideas from recently published research results and discoveries about the ambivalent role of atmospheric halogens (chlorine) in controlling the global abundance of tropospheric O3, OH and CH4. It discusses and proposes a possible roadmap to explore how artificially released iron chloride aerosols could reduce the atmospheric CH4 burden to mitigate its climate impact. The authors call for interdisciplinary efforts while keeping in mind ethical concerns and social impacts due to the proposed method.
Short summary
Rapid reduction in atmospheric methane is needed to slow the rate of global warming. Reducing anthropogenic methane emissions is a top priority. However, atmospheric methane is also impacted by rising natural emissions and changing sinks. Studies of possible atmospheric methane removal approaches, such as iron salt aerosols to increase the chlorine radical sink, benefit from a roadmapped approach to understand if there may be viable and socially acceptable ways to decrease future risk.
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