UROP Project

Would solar radiation modification ameliorate or exacerbate ocean climate change impacts as compared to unabated global warming?

Climate change, global warming, atmospheric science, meteorology, oceans
Research Mentor: Prof. Michael Diamond,
Department, College, Affiliation: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: msdiamond@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable

Project Description

Global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and deforestation poses a substantial and growing risk to the wellbeing of humans and ecosystems around the world. Some scientists have proposed deliberate interventions to make Earth reflect more sunlight, termed solar radiation modification (SRM), to temporarily offset some of the effects of global warming and buy society more time to reduce emissions and develop carbon dioxide removal technology. Although it is very likely that SRM would work to reduce Earth’s global average surface temperature, SRM would not directly address ocean acidification and may alter regional temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns. In this project, students will analyze global climate model data to assess how SRM and unabated global warming would change key indicators of ocean health. Results will help us determine whether SRM could ameliorate some of the risks of climate change on marine ecosystems — or if it would be likely to exacerbate those risks instead.

Research Tasks: Students will review literature, analyze existing global climate model data using their own coding scripts, and present their results to the community via poster or oral presentations.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: A background in coding in a language like Python or Matlab is useful but not required.

Mentoring Philosophy

My general inclination as a mentor is to allow students space for creativity and exploring ideas on their own; however, I recognize the importance of being flexible and planning to have different levels of hands-on engagement and direction depending on student needs and their progress in the project. The beginning stages of a project will naturally have more “hands-on” involvement. I will meet with students individually at least every other week and hold regular group meetings that will include research updates as well as professional development and discussions of topics like research ethics. I also believe in the importance of having multiple mentors, as no one individual can provide everything a student may need in terms of research and career guidance and general life advice and will thus assist my students with networking opportunities. Each student in my group will complete an Individual Development Plan to help identify personal and career goals and evaluate progress toward meeting those goals. My group will be a safe environment in which “failing forward” is encouraged, challenges are viewed as opportunities for growth, and all perspectives are valued.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://michael-s-diamond.github.io/camp/
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