{"id":2007,"date":"2026-07-09T00:40:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2026-07-09T00:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:40:28","slug":"another-super-el-nino-is-brewing-scientists-are-looking-at-a-controversial-solution-to-squash-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2007","title":{"rendered":"Another \u2018Super El Ni\u00f1o\u2019 is brewing. Scientists are looking at a controversial solution to squash them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A Super El Ni\u00f1o is brewing and it could be <a data-ylk=\"slk:the most intense in decades;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/07\/06\/weather\/super-el-nino-intensity-forecast-climate?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">the most intense in decades<\/a>, threatening a dramatic increase in deadly extreme weather. But what if there was a way humans could dial down the ferocious impacts of the most severe El Ni\u00f1os by temporarily dimming the sun?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That&#8217;s the question a group of scientists has investigated in a new study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf29\ufe0f <a data-ylk=\"slk:Get your forecast in the CNN Weather App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/interactive\/new_business\/weather_app\/?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Get your forecast in the CNN Weather App<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">El Ni\u00f1o is a natural climate pattern originating in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which typically boosts global temperatures and fuels extreme weather. It&#8217;s being compounded by human-driven climate change, which is ramping up the planet&#8217;s background temperature, pushing El Ni\u00f1o years into increasingly extreme territory \u2014 with devastating impacts on human lives and global economies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The study, led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography,<strong> <\/strong>focused on whether a <a data-ylk=\"slk:highly controversial technique;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/02\/12\/world\/solar-dimming-geoengineering-climate-solution-intl?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">highly controversial technique <\/a>called solar geoengineering could be used as a tool to tamp down the severe heat, fires and other impacts El Ni\u00f1o brings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Specifically, they looked at &#8220;marine cloud brightening,&#8221; which involves spraying particles into ocean clouds in order to reflect sunlight away from the Earth and back into space.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Children walk on a sandbank in Novo Airao, Amazonas state, northern Brazil, on October 1, 2024. An El Ni\u00f1o-fueled drought pushed several tributaries of the Amazon River to critical lows in 2024. - Michael Dantas\/AFP\/Getty Images\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/f2e433cb94a29f4ae19d6a51fe2355fb2ffa3c036b2067b68cc3a7b9a0fbf55b\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fcnn_articles_875%2Fdca4f21333741ef1a828196a97a3572e\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Children walk on a sandbank in Novo Airao, Amazonas state, northern Brazil, on October 1, 2024. An El Ni\u00f1o-fueled drought pushed several tributaries of the Amazon River to critical lows in 2024. &#8211; Michael Dantas\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The researchers couldn&#8217;t conduct real-world geoengineering experiments to test the idea for fear of &#8220;disastrous unintended consequences,&#8221; so instead they turned to a &#8220;natural experiment,&#8221; they wrote in a statement accompanying the report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Australia&#8217;s &#8220;Black Summer&#8221; bushfires in 2019 and 2020 incinerated tens of millions of acres and contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people. They also produced plumes of smoke filled with sun-reflecting particles, which mixed with clouds over the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Previous <a data-ylk=\"slk:research;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adg1213?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D24521851938872546551303754623534580778%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1783501608\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">research<\/a> has found these ultra-reflective clouds bounced more of the sun&#8217;s energy back into space and cooled the Pacific, <a data-ylk=\"slk:contributing to a subsequent La Ni\u00f1a event;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/news.ucar.edu\/132892\/australian-bushfires-likely-contributed-multiyear-la-nina\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">contributing to a subsequent La Ni\u00f1a event<\/a>, El Ni\u00f1o&#8217;s counterpart, which tends bring down global temperatures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The scientists isolated the cloud brightening impacts of the Australian fires and used climate models to simulate the effect of a similar event happening before two historically strong El Ni\u00f1o events, one that started in 1997 and another in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They found targeted marine cloud brightening could weaken El Ni\u00f1o&#8217;s impacts and increase the cooling and drying effects associated with La Ni\u00f1a by 40%. The earlier in the El Ni\u00f1o event the technique is deployed, the more effective it would be, the study concluded.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A bushfire burns next to a major road and homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin, Australia, on December 19, 2019. - David Gray\/Getty Images\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/49b6e77588e37ed0cde8c84ee95d931df66fd11dabfc8c8c0b017626842702ea\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fcnn_articles_875%2Fd70ca4d867ce3c2a3981587caad3ca45\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A bushfire burns next to a major road and homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin, Australia, on December 19, 2019. &#8211; David Gray\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Geoengineering is a hotly debated topic. Some experts are of the view that it is too dangerous to even consider, with a near infinite number of unintended consequences. They also fear it would need to be continued indefinitely to prevent possible &#8220;termination shock&#8221; \u2014 a catastrophic rise in temperatures if geoengineering is started then halted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But what the scientists are considering here is different, said Kate Ricke, a study author and a climate scientist at Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego&#8217;s School of Global Policy and Strategy. The idea is to deploy geoengineering as a temporary tool to target a specific seasonal or multi-year event all but guaranteed to bring significant damage, she said, &#8220;it&#8217;s not something that you&#8217;re locking yourself into.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ricke stressed that the paper is not advocating for geoengineering. &#8220;This is just a proof of concept \u2026 the only thing we&#8217;ve shown is that it&#8217;s worth further study,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The researchers acknowledges several potential drawbacks. El Ni\u00f1o is a very complex phenomenon; while it causes <a data-ylk=\"slk:trillions in global economic losses;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.adf2983?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D24521851938872546551303754623534580778%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1783402207\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">trillions in global economic losses<\/a>, not every region loses out. Some are adapted to its impacts \u2014 for example, California relies on the heavy rain El Ni\u00f1o typically brings to replenish water reservoirs, even if it can be dangerous.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It will also be important to understand how this technique would affect the timing, frequency and magnitude of a subsequent La Ni\u00f1a event, and what the impact would be on specific regions, Ricke said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;You have to think very carefully about trade-offs,&#8221; she said. Geoengineering &#8220;is probably best to think about for now in terms of super El Ni\u00f1os, where most people, most places are losers and really extreme, damaging events are most possible,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">James Haywood, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the research, said there remain &#8220;many, many unanswered questions and uncertainties as to the viability of marine cloud brightening&#8221; in terms of controling its cooling impact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There&#8217;s the technical challenge of generating particles of the right size and quantity to produce the desired amount of cooling, he said. &#8220;Then there is the question of what if we overdo it?&#8221; he added, referring to the possibility of a mega La Ni\u00f1a &#8220;many, many times stronger than we&#8217;ve experienced before.&#8221; La Ni\u00f1as can bring extreme weather, too, including increased rainfall and flooding in parts of Asia and Australia, and drier-than-normal conditions in parts of South America and the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We are a long way away from being able to deploy such technologies and knowing whether they would work as intended,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">David Keith, a geophysical sciences professor at the University of Chicago, also pointed to the engineering challenges. &#8220;Almost two decades after research started, marine cloud brightening sprayers have spray rates\u2026 that are at least factor of a hundred too small for practical use,&#8221; said Keith, who was also not involved in the study. The technique may be physically possible, he added, but currently &#8220;the technology simply doesn&#8217;t exist.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Beyond the technical problems lie ethical quandries, said Haywood, such as who gets to decide if the world opts for this technique and whether geoengineering would distract from efforts to cut planet-heating pollution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">These questions are beyond the scope of this research but Ricke acknowledged there is much more work to be done. &#8220;We need to understand a lot more,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but if there is a way to use this\u2026 to mitigate El Ni\u00f1os, why wouldn&#8217;t we consider it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at <a data-ylk=\"slk:CNN.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/register?source=external-feeds_iluminar&amp;cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo&amp;registration_email_campaign=https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">CNN.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Super El Ni\u00f1o is brewing and it could be the most intense in decades, threatening a dramatic increase in deadly extreme weather. But what if there was a way humans could dial down the ferocious impacts of the most severe El Ni\u00f1os by temporarily dimming the sun? That&#8217;s the question a group of scientists&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/4f8c3ac1d9ceac01a7c979c1a58ca7d483c67e520a767a1dc2818c5c67be87a9\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960_h540;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fcnn_articles_875%2F87a81d773058c975cdc52931acb3f501","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}