Ocean warming is important. If that’s not just caused by the CO2 greenhouse effect, but also by an increase in insulation, a decrease in evaporative cooling capacity, and a decrease in the concentration of smoothing water, we need to know.
Recommended research.
Can I tentatively suggest worthwhile areas of research on the extent of this Localized Human Warming (ALW)?
A. Evans and Ruf (2) used the CYGNSS satellite to look for fine areas associated with microplastic pollution. Further research revealed that the smoothing process they found was more related to surfactant contamination than to microplastics, but the source of that contamination was puzzling – the thin film is thought to be degraded. rapidly oxidized. Their technique can be used to quantify the world area of fineness. This is an important first step. Cost £++
Tests for albedo change due to smoothing have been done, see https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.07021 (3). Cost £++
B. Some lakes and seas, bays, etc. are warming at an unusual rate. A survey of data related to the warming of lakes like Michigan, Superior, Tanganyika, Baikal, North and Baltic seas, Black Sea, etc. Sea of Marmara (warming at twice the global rate, with diatom blooms) I believe will prove to be the canary in the coal mine in terms of the combined effects of wastewater, nutrient depletion and surface pollution. If a literature search (cheapest option) confirms high rates of warming in certain bodies of water, then hands-on research will be warranted. Cost £ + to £ +++ Quantifying a molecularly thick film will be an interesting challenge.
C. Intentionally contaminating clean water sources with oil/surfactant mixtures. However, SeaWifs data shows that it can be difficult to find unpolluted lakes. (See “Up In Smoke” (1)) Cost £++
D. Search through satellite imagery to check for oil slicks and cloud structures above them. Deepwater Horizon satellite images show areas that the keen eye could theoretically interpret as cloud containment. If I remember correctly, the Shetland Braer disaster archive video shows the destruction of the cloud which can show the lifetime of oil pollution droplets reduced. Cost £+
E. Documented sea surface temperature and ship loss records from the North Atlantic during World War II. An experiment on a large-scale oil spill over a large ocean was actually carried out, namely the Battle of the Atlantic. Professor Tom Wigley’s ‘Bright Spot’ may have an explanation. (4) Cost £+
