This is a conceptual solar geoengineering technique aimed at thinning cirrus clouds, which absorb more heat than they reflect. Thinning them would allow heat from earth to escape into space. ‘Cirrus cloud seeding’ is the actual introduction of particles into cirrus clouds, and ‘cirrus cloud thinning’ is the result of it. This is not to be confused with traditional cloud seeding.

 

“However, cirrus cloud seeding is different from the traditional cloud seeding in many respects: the targeted clouds, the involved microphysical mechanisms and its very intention, which is to modify climate rather than weather.”

Cirrus cloud seeding: a climate engineering mechanism with reduced side effects?

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“Jon Egill Kristjansson told us about the fine line a potential cloud seeder would have to walk by seeding small, homogenous ice nuclei in cirrus clouds, which then cool the planet by letting more long-wave radiation out, but making sure not to ‘over-seed’, as injecting too many nuclei would mean reduced solar reflection and subsequently more warming.“

DFG: Climate Engineering

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The possible use of commercial airliners in CCT has been discussed.

“Cirrus cloud seeding: seeding via commercial airliners?”

Modifications of cirrus clouds in a geoengineering framework