The same molecule that prevents wine from spoiling helps cool the planet from the stratosphere. Explore real data from satellites, emission inventories, and live balloon deployments to understand how.
Harmful air pollutant. Created when sunlight reacts with car exhaust and industrial emissions. Causes respiratory disease and damages crops.
Harmful air pollutant. Released from power plants, refineries, and smelters. Causes acid rain and respiratory illness.
Both are harmful at ground level — they poison the air we breathe.
Protective shield. Absorbs harmful UV radiation from the sun. Protects all life on Earth from cancer and genetic damage.
Cooling agent. Converts to sulfate aerosols that reflect sunlight back to space, reducing the amount of heat reaching Earth's surface.
Both are beneficial in the stratosphere — they protect us from above.
At the equator, intense UV radiation breaks apart oxygen molecules and creates ozone. The temperature difference between the equator and the poles drives a global circulation pattern called the Brewer-Dobson circulation — a stratospheric conveyor belt that carries air poleward over 1–3 years.
The key insight: If SO₂ is injected near the equator in the stratosphere, it follows the same natural circulation that distributes ozone. The same winds that protect us with the ozone layer could distribute sulfate aerosols to cool the entire planet — without ground-level pollution.