Outdoor Experiments
SPICE
Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE), a UK-based project to evaluate the feasibility of SAI, cancelled a planned field experiment in 2012 over conflict-of-interest concerns.
Status
| Status | Cancelled |
| Start/End | 2012 / 2012 |
| Location | UK |
| Type | Stratospheric Aerosol Injection |
| Experiment Type | Scientific, Engineering |
| Funded By | UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK Natural Environment Research Council, UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, US National Science Foundation, Leverhulme Trust |
Description
The Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) project began in 2010 and was a 3.5-year effort funded by the UK government to evaluate the feasibility of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI).
SPICE had three goals: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of non-sulphate particles in reflecting sunlight, (2) test a system to deliver particles to the stratosphere, and (3) model effects of larger dispersal of particles.
The team of researchers from four universities in the UK planned to conduct an outdoor experiment to test a tethered balloon concept for SAI deployment. For the planned experiment, the team was going to suspend a kilometre-long hose from a balloon and test pumping water up this hose. The outdoor experiment portion of SPICE was cancelled in 2012.
The project leader, Matthew Watson (University of Bristol) cited two reasons for the cancellation. First, he noted the lack of international agreement for SRM research governance. Second, he voiced concerns over a potential conflict of interest: prior to the start of SPICE, two members of the team had applied for a patent related to the hose-delivery system. The rest of the team learned about this development about a year into the project and expressed concern that the patent could be leveraged for commercial gain.
Key Papers
Pidgeon, N., Parkhill, K., Corner, A., & Vaughan, N. (2013, May). Deliberating stratospheric aerosols for climate geoengineering and the SPICE project. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1807