Geoengineering solution No. 9: The Flying Dutchman solves global warming

If mimicking a massive volcanic eruption by spraying sulfur dioxide into the air or flying thousands of mirrors into space to shade Earth to halt climate change doesn’t cut it for you, how about this? A fleet of 1,500 automated ships, dubbed “albedo yachts,” spewing saltwater into the sky to make denser clouds that reflect more sunlight


The ships rely on so-called Flettner rotors, tall columns like enlarged smokestacks that jut up from the center of the ship and spin in the wind, driving the ship perpendicular to the air flow and also serving as the funnels from which the sea spray would emerge. Bonus: the ships are entirely unmanned and simply go with the flow of winds, cooling the sea surface.

Scientific American