The world that we live in seems to change at an ever faster pace. We attribute this to technology…but how did technology become so pervasive in our everyday lives? What role has science played in this evolution? And, how do science and technology impact one another? The concept of technoscience helps us to understand this…
In the latter part of the 20th century, the validity of social sciences became widely accepted. Some branches of social science researchers researched and documented the role of complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] in society. Their actions helped to address the issues of missing data and evidence to support medical claims, which contributed to a…
New plants are created via plant propagation of which there are two types: sexual and asexual. With sexual propagation, there are two sources of parental DNA resulting in the creation of a third living organism. Sexual propagation involves the floral components of the plant and is the result of the pollination of megagametophyte (egg). There…
Biochar, a form of carbon dioxide sequestration (SDR), is a solid material obtained from the carbonization of biomass. This process produces highly porous charcoal. The biomass is then buried to lock the carbon into the soil which can improve soil functions. CO2 typically produced by the natural degradation of biomass is also reduced. This practice is…
Enhanced weathering is the process of exposing large quantities of minerals that are reactive with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and storing the resulting compound in the ocean or soil. It is considered a form of carbon dioxide removal or CDR. BENEFITS CHALLENGES Has the potential to increase terrestrial and oceanic net productivity Can be…
Ocean alkalinity enhancement is increasements in the ocean’s alkalinity via the exposure of large quantities of reactive minerals to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Calcium oxide is created when temperatures of ca. 1000 degrees Celsius are used to heat high purity limestone. The Calcium oxide is then stored in the ocean. The water prevents the…
Stratospheric aerosols are minute particles suspended in the atmosphere designed for solar radiation management [SRM]. When these particles are sufficiently large, their presence becomes noticeable as they scatter and absorb sunlight, which can reduce visibility [haze] and redden sunrises and sunsets. Aerosols interact both directly and indirectly with the Earth’s radiation budget and climate. As…
Space reflectors, a form of solar radiation management [SRM], are sun shields positioned in space in order to reduce the amount of solar energy reaching the earth. Options include placing mirrors around the earth, placing millions of reflectors between the earth and the sun where the gravitational attraction between the two bodies is equal, launching a…
Ocean fertilization is an untested carbon dioxide sequestration (CDR) technique that involves dissolving nitrates or iron into the water which will encourage an increase in carbon uptake by phytoplankton. After the plankton blooms, it dies and then sinks to the ocean floor where the carbon will be stored as sedimentary rock. BENEFITS CHALLENGES Relatively safe…
Albedo is the fraction of the sun’s radiation reflected from a surface. It is quantified as the proportion or percentage of solar radiation of all wavelengths reflected by a body or surface to the amount incident upon it. An ideal white body has an albedo of 100% and an ideal black body is 0%. Albedo…