A methyl cellulose–carrageenan foam
Long-life foams that can act as oceanic mirrors are being explored by scientists in the UK. These reflective foams could one day ease global warming by managing incoming solar radiation.
Planetary albedo is the proportion of sunlight reflected by Earth’s surface; two main areas contribute – land and ocean. Oceanic albedo is primarily caused by naturally occurring bubbles or foams produced by surface waves called whitecaps. They create an oceanic mirror but without them, ocean reflectance is only around 5%. Whitecaps, however, are short-lived, urging research into persistent foams that boost albedo.
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Long-term stabilization of reflective foams in sea water
Alex Aziz, Helen C. Hailes, John M. Ward and Julian R. G. Evans
RSC Adv., 2014,4, 53028-53036
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA08714C
