Albedo Modification
Methods have also been discussed in recent years for enhancing the Earth’s reflectivity, or albedo. The intended aim of these methods would be to reflect more short-wave radiation back into space. They include various ideas:
Cultivation Of Reflective Crops
The albedo of farming land can be increased by growing high-albedo crops. Light-coloured cereals, for example, reflect more sunlight than plants with dark-green leaves and more still than forest. This method is estimated to have little potential, however, because not enough farmland is available worldwide on which agriculture could be geared towards RM needs. In the vast majority of cases, agriculture must cater to the nutrition needs of the world’s population.
Microbubbles / Sea Foam
Microscopically small air bubbles in the sea are known to be good at reflecting sunlight. Such bubbles form naturally by wave motion. It is also conceivable that ships could be equipped with special aeration systems to produce large quantities of artificial microbubbles. These would be expected to have a lifespan of several months to several years. This means they could have a measurable effect in total. So far, however, the approach is not much more than an idea. Further research is needed into its feasibility and environmental impacts.