Serious but potentially seriously stupid question: If clouds cool the earth, and we have a fresh water shortage, what if we boil the oceans?
Hear me out.
What if we had large floating barges of dark surfaces floating in hot areas. And what if we set it up so the dark surface was just an inch under water. Wouldn't this cause the sun to evaporate more water than it normally would, thereby increasing clouds in the sky, and potentially addressing two climate issues at once?
There's probably a million reasons why that's stupid, but I can't think of them at the moment. Seems like a simple solution to a complex problem.
Low-atmosphere cloud causes more warming than reflection. The positive feedback loop between increased surface temperature and increased evaporation is part of IPCC modelling; the term you want is "radiative forcing".
If you want a ground solution, there's surprising value in painting roofs white and selecting light colored road surfaces. I believe there's even a material which is calculated to radiate in the less-absorbed bands, so it can have a positive cooling effect.
Hear me out.
What if we had large floating barges of dark surfaces floating in hot areas. And what if we set it up so the dark surface was just an inch under water. Wouldn't this cause the sun to evaporate more water than it normally would, thereby increasing clouds in the sky, and potentially addressing two climate issues at once?
There's probably a million reasons why that's stupid, but I can't think of them at the moment. Seems like a simple solution to a complex problem.