ECOLOGICAL SOLUTION TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING and

Abstract - We have presented a suggestion ecologically and technically correct to minimize the greenhouse effect with a real possibility to stabilize the global climate, wiping radically hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, heat and cold waves, etc ...
Besides all these advantages will also change as corollaries of a non-polluting production of huge amounts of electricity, and a significant increase in the production of ocean fisheries and the production of fresh water sufficient to irrigate large desert areas, all with a simple adaptation to a technology (OTEC) which already has existed for more than a century!



Opening words

Let me clarify at first that I'm just a free thinker, and my only wish to present (in the public domain) this work is that it is seriously discussed for all conscientious people, so this presented in popular form) and developed with the degree of urgency, I think it represents the more efficient proposal, ecological and feasible to resolve the difficult situation in which humanity and the world are meet.



A - FACTORS DETERMINING THE CLIMATE OF THE EARTH

As is well known for a long time, the main factors that influence climate of planet Earth are:


a - The solar radiation.
b - The inclination of the Earth's axis to the ecliptic.
c - The Earth's rotation around its axis.
d - The solar activity.
e - The action of the tides.
f - The continental and submarine relief.
g - The volcanism.
h - The cold and warm ocean currents, surface and underwater.
i - Irradiation of the earth's internal heat.
j - The biological cycles of respiration and photosynthesis of fauna and flora.
k - The surface temperature of the oceans.
l - The human action.
m - The reflection of solar radiation back into outer space (albedo).
n - Other factors.



B - These factors only items (j) (k) (l) (m) are within the reach of human intervention, all others are beyond our current technological possibilities, this paper aims to demonstrate that controlling the surface temperature of oceans (item k) also is within our possibility.
The proposals made to solve the problem of global warming can be separated into two categories:


1. Ideas based on carbon sequestration (items j-l).

As examples, we have reforestation, the production of algae in the oceans, the replacement of fossil fuels, etc ...
These solutions, although theoretically correct, are long-term solutions and in practice seems unfeasible, because they are contradictory to the immediate interests of the economic system.


2. Solutions of thermodynamics kinds (items k-m).

Are thermodynamic for example, suggestions that relate to the increased reflection of sunlight (albedo) and the placement of millions of mirrors in orbit or the spraying of sulfur into the stratosphere.
These solutions are also unfeasible and in the case of spraying of sulfur would have a real environmental crime with the production of acid rain.
Thermodynamic solutions are symptomatic because in reality they do not solve the problem at its root, which relates primarily to the presence of excessive dose of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.




C - The OTEC / La Marck solution.



Our proposal to soften the climate is based on the idea that (yes) we can lower the average surface temperature of oceans (and thus the atmosphere) and thus can stabilize the global climate.
The proposal is a mixed kind, thermodynamic + carbon sequestration by marine biomass.

The technology for converting thermal energy of ocean Waters (OTEC) is a must in order to effect the efficient cooling of the surface temperature of tropical oceans (a technology that converts heat into electricity ocean or is there an effective cooling of the water!).
Our suggestion is that we use this technology to pump huge volumes of cold water, to be mixed with the warm surface waters, in a few years with an average cooling of the oceans (1 to 2 degrees Celsius) we will have inevitably a climate milder (as a result of weaker trade winds and by inhibiting the formation of the centers of very low pressure).
After stabilization of the atmosphere then the equipment installed can be gradually adapted to the production of electricity, energy resources of the ocean heat are estimated at about 40 million megawatts.
The system can also be used for other purposes also important, such as:
a - Desalination of large volumes of salt water for irrigation of desert areas and human consumption.
b - Controlled dispersion of submarine nutrients in order to increase fish production (with the subsequent carbon sequestration).
c - The production of some chemical substances ( amonia, H2, etc...)
d - The extraction of minerals (magnesium, uranium, silver ...) from the waters of the seas.

Our suggestion then solves 4 major planetary crises:

1 - Climate crisis
2 - The energy crisis
3 - Lack of fresh water
4 - Lack of protein (amino acids) to human nourishment.
more
5 - Increases mineral production.
6 - Increase of industrial production.

Summarize:

We suggest the urgent installation in tropical regions of at least 10,000 OTEC/La Marck plants (at least 20 megawatts each), adapted for pumping and mixing of 300 m3 / s of the icy deep water.
The platforms must be installed in alignment perpendicular to the flow of main warm currents.



D - Cooling of tropical seas

Warm ocean currents determine the climate strongly, because they are responsible for the formation of large heated surfaces which in turn heats the atmosphere which is above those regions, they form the convective air currents, so-called trade winds. These winds, in turn, are primarily responsible for the formation of deserts. In addition, the warm currents are responsible for the formation of hurricanes and indirectly are also the cause of hurricanes and other environmental disasters. This occurs when a large surface of the ocean is heated to temperatures above 28 Celsius.
As we all know a few hundred meters below the surface ocean waters are extremely cold (approximately 6 Celsius to 1,000 meters deep).
So to cool these very warm surface water, what we do just to pump a large amount of cold water and pour it over the current hot! and promoting the proper mixture.
As the volume of water in ocean currents is huge (the order of millions of cubic meters per second), would require hundreds or thousands of offshore water pumping, strategically located on the warm currents in order to achieve lower a few degrees Celsius, the surface temperature of the oceans, but this can be done as we will demonstrate below.
The technology required for such an undertaking has existed for more than a century, is known as OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), they were an extremely simple and ecological system , it uses just the difference in temperature between the ocean surface and deep water for generation of electricity, the availability of this form of energy is enough to supply around the world and still have! This technology has an income of more than 90% and is ecological, another interesting point is that this energy source is available in large quantities just in the most favorable to the installation of the cooling system (tropical regions).
Our suggestion would be to replace the eletrical generators of an OTEC plant standard for a large turbine pump for the suction of the icy deep, long-term as the average temperature of the oceans to become more mild, then these turbines would be gradually replaced by electric generators.
The high cost of implementation of the system (hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars) would be offset in the medium term for to avoid environmental disasters, and the production of clean energy, we would also have an increased yield in agriculture and the climate warmer desert regions would decrease by size (because the trade winds weaken) further increasing carbon sequestration.



E - How can we know whether we can build this system?

E1 - Feasibility technology.

Our aim for environmental purposes is to cool the surface waters are above 28 degrees Celsius (the maximum temperature is 34 C) but let's calculate the amount of water above 22 Celsius.

We should calculate how much cold water to be pumped through the system in a period of 20 years (the effect is cumulative because the oceans have a combined rotating like a carousel) in order to obtain (after mixing) a temperature of about 2 Celsius below the average current (of water between 22 and 32 Celsius).
So first compute the amount of ocean warm water to be "treated" .
We have:
Earth surface .............................................................. 510 million km2
Ocean surface ............................................................ 360 million km2
Surface with water heated (above 22 Celsius )............ 150 million km2
Average depth of water heated (above 22 C ).................... 200 meters
From the last two items we calculate:
Volume of water to be chilled ...................................~ 30 million km3
(this represents only 2% of the total volume of the oceans).
Number of units (OTEC / La Marck) installed .......................... 10,000

Dividing we find .................................................. 3000 km3 / platform.

Once each station will have to cool a total volume of about 3,000 km3 in a period of 20 years.
As the average temperature of cooling water is about 7 Celsius, while the water to be chilled is an average of 27 Celsius, so each platform will have to mix a quantity of 1 / 10 of total to be reduced to 2 degrees the average temperature.
Summarize:
Each station will pump a volume of ..................... 300 km3 in 20 years.
We should know the value of pumping in cubic meters per second to evaluate the technological feasibility.

Calculating we find :.............................................. 480 m3/seg/plataforma.

In fact this value is much lower because we are not taking into account that calculate the cooling caused by the operation of the OTEC system (which is not inconsiderable).
In considering this extra cooling, with 2 turbines of 150 m3 / s on each platform we can solve big problems.
The power required to perform this pumping (assuming 100 HP/m3/s) would be 30,000 HP / platform, or 20 megawatts per platform, this value is within our actual possibility and that's the important point to emphasized.
The problem then becomes ecological, political and financial.



E2 - Ecological viability.


While the average surface temperature is 17 Celsius, the average temperature of the oceans is about 3.5 C, this means that most of the oceans is at temperatures below 3.5 C, actually a big part of it is about 2.5 C (94% of the water is cold) that is minimally to the cold surface waters that are certainly not produced any environmental problem.
We must also remember that according to the oceanography, the average temperature of the oceans in the last 10 million years has never been so low (probably due to the latest glaciation).
It must be said that the OTEC system works in closed loop which is an environmental safety.
The cooling surface is also favorable to the absorption of CO2 by the oceans contributing further to the desired carbon sequestration.




E3 - Political feasibility

Certainly there are political difficulties in an undertaking of this magnitude and with such socio-economic impact, but when the "business is good for everyone" so I think a political solution is found without much ado.




E4 - Financial viability.

Rough calculation we estimate the cost of such US$ 500 billion (U.S. $ 50 million per platform), this can best be studied in engineering offices, or a real "bargain" when evaluating the positive consequences that will follow , only the amount of electricity produced would be enough to pay for the system, and economy in environmental disasters? the thousands of lives saved? Are things that are priceless!



F - Responses to criticisms and questions.

1 - An idea so simple and powerful! Why nobody thought of before?

R - I also like to know, but I think people already leave the mistaken prejudice that it is not possible to change the temperature of the oceans (due to its immense size), then they do not bother to calculate it , but as we saw the amount of water it really needs to be cooled is "only" 2% of the total volume of the oceans and is the process of cumulative cooling, we have a long operation, another reason for this idea has not been suggested is that the people are very specialized in their knowledge.



2 - The heat produced by the pumping stations would not be detrimental to the environment?

R - No, because the OTEC system does not generate heat, otherwise it removes heat from the ocean to produce energy, then the ocean surface is cooler for 2 reasons, because the mixture of icy water and the proper functioning of the system.



3 - Who would pay this account? and who would control the machine?

R - The system must be monitored by the UN by international agreement.
As for sources of funds: United States, IMF, UN, China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, India, insurance and energy companies, etc ... and who has an interest in solving the problem.
The commercialization of electric energy and minerals can then be used to pay part of the system, but the priority is to make the cooling ocean.



4 - How would we build this system?

R - In several ways, but basically would alignments of hundreds of offshore platforms (one for each kilometer?), Properly located (on the warm currents) and anchored, low pressure turbine pump, the kind that are used in hydroelectric plants. They could also be used ships built for that purpose or adapted. The suction of the icy waters would be effected by large tubes several meters in diameter and 500 to 1,000 meters deep (depending on the region).



5 - This will capture the deep waters could not drag the submarine mud causing an environmental impact?

R - No, because the deposits of organic matter are more than 4,000 meters deep and the proposal is to use the water which is between 500 and 1,000 meters. The system could and should also be used to effect the dispersal of nutrients, but this would be done with discretion and monitoring. The possibility of increasing the production of plankton and fish is also of environmental interest due to carbon sequestration.



6 - This procedure does not interfere with the system of so-called thermohaline currents?

R - This will be monitored, but the amount of water used would be insignificant compared to the ocean (less than 0.1%) and the thermohaline current system is slow (1000 years to complete each cycle).



7 - This idea is original and is patented?

R - The OTEC technology is more than a century, the idea of using it as a cooling ocean think that has not been presented, because if it had been, certainly was being discussed. It has been in office just to keep my credit as an inventor and here I am in the public domain. This question is of interest to all humanity and all living beings on the planet. Selling this idea would be unethical.



8 - This equipment could be used for war?

R - To become a weapon of war the system could heat the ocean rather than cool it, it would be possible if it was used, for example nuclear energy to perform the operation of pumping and mixing, then one might think of a shutdown suction of the icy waters and with the addition of thermal energy generated would have a nuclear criminal overheating, but with the use of OTEC technology that is impossible, and if you imagine an excessive cooling (the Gulf Stream for example), then the answer is the equipment power would be insufficient for such an action, ie the system can not be used to heat and can not be used to cool too much.
There is a real possibility that in war there may be an attack on the system, but that would be a threat to the ecosystem no more serious than an attack on oil vessels for example, or attacks on nuclear installations.



9 - What are the best areas for the installation of the system?

R - The system must be installed on the main warm currents.
In North Atlantic Ocean would have to be chilled water that transform the Gulf of Mexico on a huge reservoir of heat, a nest of hurricanes, the major chains that are responsible for this effect are the current northern Brazil / Guianas and northern equatorial current Atlantic, also the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida and Virginia, in the South Atlantic have chains in Brazil currents, the south equatorial Atlantic current and current of Guinea.
In the Pacific Ocean currents that would supply the "El niño", and the currents of the Philippines, China Sea, California and Mexico and in the Indian Ocean, currents of Sumatra, Bengal and Somalia.
Other regions would be favorable to current of the Azores off the coast of Morocco and Spanish Sahara, the coast of Angola and Namibia ...

10 - .....

Attention: These ideas should be discussed and implemented with the urgency that the gravity of the issues involved deserve, I believe that human beings in general is very alienated and disoriented in these matters, there are many hidden interests behind this misinformation, but when the problem exists for all (without distinction of being rich or poor) then we should act with the utmost cooperation, readiness and intelligence possible.
I recommend everyone whom reads this work that seriously discuss it and promote their dissemination.



São Paulo Brazil December 25 2009

Richard W. La Marck

ECOLOGICAL SOLUTION TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING

ECOLOGICAL SOLUTION TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING


Abstract - We have presented a suggestion ecologically and technically correct to minimize the greenhouse effect with the real possibility of controlling the climate radically wiping hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, heat waves, etc ... it was not enough all these advantages we have as corollaries a non-polluting production of huge amounts of electricity, let alone a significant increase in the production of ocean fisheries and the production of fresh water sufficient to irrigate large desert areas, all with the implementation of a technology that already exists more than a century!


FACTORS DETERMINING THE CLIMATE OF THE EARTH

As is well known for a long time, the main factors that influence the climate of planet Earth are:

a-The solar-irradiation.
b-The axis tilt of the Earth to the ecliptic.
c-The Earth's rotation around its axis.
d-The reflection of solar radiation back into outer space.
e-The cold and warm ocean surface currents and underwater. currents
f-The relief continental and submarine.
g-The human action.
h-The solar activity.
i-The lunar tides.
j-The biological cycles of respiration and photosynthesis of fauna and flora.
k-The surface temperature of the oceans.
l-The volcanism
m-The radiation of heat from inside the Earth.
n-Other factors.

Of all these factors listed above it is clear that the few that are within the reach of human intervention are the items (d) (g) (j) (k). All others are beyond our technological possibilities .
The proposals made to solve the problem of global warming can be separated into two categories:

1. Ideas based on carbon sequestration
 As examples, we are, reforestation, the production of algae in the oceans, the replacement of fossil fuels, etc ...
These solutions, although theoretically correct, are long-term solutions and in practice seems unfeasible, reforestation and fuel replacement because they are contrary to the interests of the financial system, and in the case of algae production, we have a concern with the ecological balance.

2. Solution of a Thermodynamic kind.
For example, suggestions that relate to the increased reflection of solar rays, such as the placement of thousands of mirrors in orbit or the spraying of sulfur into the stratosphere. These solutions are also unfeasible and in the case of spraying of sulfur would have a real environmental crime with the production of acid rain.
These thermodynamics solutions are just symptomatic because in reality they do not solve the problem at its root.
Our proposal to lower the average temperature of the atmosphere is themodynamic type and therefore is not really a solution, and would have to be complemented with long-term reforestation and reducing carbon emissions.

The idea is very simple.


Cooling of tropical seas

Warm ocean currents determine the climate strongly, because they are responsible for the formation of large bodies of warm water which in turn heats the atmosphere which is above those regions, they form the so-called convective air currents, forming trade winds. These winds, in turn, are primarily responsible for the formation of deserts. In addition, the warm currents are responsible for the formation of typhoons and hurricanes and indirectly are also the cause of tornadoes. This occurs when a large surface of the ocean is heated to temperatures above 28 Celsius. What few people know is that a few hundred meters below the surface ocean waters are extremely cold (approximately 6 Celsius to 1,000 meters deep).
So to cool these very warm surface water, what we do is just pump a large amount of cold water and pour it over the current hot!
Sounds easy, but as the volume of water in ocean currents is huge (the order of tens of millions of cubic meters per second), would require hundreds or thousands of offshore water pumping platforms, strategically located in order to achieve lower a few degrees Celsius, the surface temperature of the oceans, but theoretically it is possible. The technology required for such an undertaking has existed for more than a century, is known as OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), were an extremely simple system that uses just the difference in temperature between the ocean surface and deep water to generate electricity, the availability of this energy form in the oceans is about 40 billion megawatts, or the amount of energy is enough to supply the entire world and still have!, this technology has an income of more than 90% and is totally ecological, another interesting point is that this energy source is available in large quantities precisely in the most favorable places to the installation of the system (the tropics).
The high cost of implementation of the system (a few hundred billion dollars) would be offset in the medium term for the purpose of environmental disasters, and the production of clean energy, we would also have an increased yield in agriculture and the climate warmer desert regions decrease size (because the trade winds weaken).

 Why this proposal is environmentally friendly?

While the average surface temperature is 17 Celsius, the average temperature of the oceans is about 3.5 C, this means that most of the oceans is at temperatures below 3.5 C, actually a big part of it is about 2.5 C (94% of the water is cold) or just a cold surface waters (due to pumping and mixing), we will have a temperature rise from the icy waters of a few tenths of a degree., and it certainly had had no environmental problem.
We must also remember that according to the oceanography, the average temperature of the oceans in the last 10 million years has never been so low (probably due to the latest glaciations).

Criticisms and doubts

1. The heat produced by the pumping stations would not be detrimental to the environment?
No, because the OTEC system does not generate heat, otherwise it removes heat from the ocean to, power generation, then the ocean surface would be cooler for 2 reasons, with the mixture of water and the proper functioning of the system.

2. Who would pay this account?
It sure would be who has the money (United States, IMF, UN, China, Japan, etc..) And the need to resolve the problem. Insurance companies could help since they would benefit directly.

4. As would be built this super machine?
Could be constructed in various ways, but basically it would be an alignment of hundreds of offshore platforms (one for each kilometer?), Properly located and anchored, turbine pump, the kind that are used in hydroelectric plants. They could also be used ships built for that purpose or adapted. The suction of the icy water pipes would be made by several meters in diameter and about 1,000 meters deep.

5. This machine could not drag the submarine mud causing an environmental impact?
No, because the deposits of organic matter are more than 4,000 meters deep and the proposal is to use the water which is at 1,000 meters. The system could also be used to effect the dispersal of nutrients, but this would be done with discretion and monitoring. The possibility of increasing the production of plankton and fish is very interesting and should not be discarded ..

6. This procedure does not interfere with the system of so-called thermohaline currents?
This would have to be monitored, but I think not, because the amount of water used would be insignificant compared to the ocean. .

7 This idea is original and is patented?
I think the idea has not yet been submitted, as if he had, certainly was being discussed. It has been in office just to keep my credit as an inventor and here I am putting into the public domain. This question is of interest to all humanity and all living beings on the planet. It would be unethical to want to sell this idea.