Aerosols offer new hope in weakening dangerous cyclones: Australian study
Strategically dispersing aerosols --microscopic airborne particles -- into developing cyclones could disrupt their formation during vulnerable early phases, an Australian study has revealed, Xinhua reports.
The pioneering study from the Australian National University (ANU) offers a potential breakthrough to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events intensified by climate change, according to an ANU release on Friday.
While previous efforts to modify storms have focused on mature cyclones nearing landfall, this study targets the early stages of cyclone development, where intervention may be more effective, according to the study's lead author, Associate Professor Roslyn Prinsley at the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions.
The study demonstrates, for the first time, the effects of aerosols of different sizes on cyclone formation -- coarse aerosols tend to slow cyclone intensification at first, while fine or ultrafine aerosols may initially accelerate it but ultimately weaken the storm to a greater extent.
"If you use different sizes of aerosols, you get a different impact on the cyclone, but they all hold promise," Prinsley said.
Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a publication of the American Geophysical Union, the computer simulations revealed complex interactions between aerosols and cyclone development, with Prinsley stressing that accurate forecasting models are essential for effective intervention.
Deploying aerosols via aircraft remains logistically complex, but Prinsley proposes testing in remote Western Australian waters -- safe zones where cyclones don't threaten land.
The ANU team is collaborating with Aeolus, a Silicon Valley start-up focused on cyclone mitigation.
Earlier, the Copernicus Climate Change Service ranked May 2025 as the second-warmest on record globally.
