1. "On the Possibilities of Climate Control" in 1962: Harry Wexler on Geoengineering and Ozone Destruction James Fleming STS Program, Colby College jfleming@colby.edu American Geophysical Union Dec. 14, 2007 Text at http://www.colby.edu/sts/agu2007wexl er.doc http://www.colby.edu/sts/agu2007wexl er.doc

2. Wexler and C.G. Rossby, Woods Hole, 1956

3. Air mass and frontal analysis

4. Radiosonde and ground tracking station

5. RADAR

6. Atmospheric Nuclear Testing

7. Bumper V-2 and WAC Corporal, 24 July 1950

8. Wexler (L) with Von Neumann, Charney and others, 1954

9. TIROS 1 cloud images 1960

10. Wexler on skis in Little America, 1 Feb 1957

13. Wexler in the Oval Office

14. Wexler and V.A. Bugaev in Geneva, 19 Mar 1962

16. On the possibilities of climate control, 1962

17. Damage to Stratospheric Ozone Inadvertent 1. Increased pollution from rocket exhaust. 2. Near-space experiments could go awry, e.g. unknown risks of Operation Argus (1958), Project West Ford (1961), and Project Highwater (1962). Purposeful 1. In 1934 S. Chapman proposed making a temporary “hole in the ozone layer” for the benefit of astronomers. 2. Possible military interest in waging geophysical warfare by attacking the ozone layer over a rival nation.

18. Wexler 1962: prevent all O 3 from forming

19. (Wexler Papers 14) Br 2 --> 2 Br in sunlight destroys O 3 --> O 2 + BrO

20. Stratospheric cooling of 80 o C Manabe and Möller (left), Wexler (right)

21. Wexler’s “Rosetta Stone” note linking Chapman, Wulf, rocket fuel, and ozone destroying reactions triggered by chorine and bromine catalysts.

22. [Climate control] can best be classified as “interesting hypothetical exercises” until the consequences of tampering with large scale atmospheric events can be assessed in advance. Most such schemes that have been advanced would require colossal engineering feats and contain the inherent risk of irremediable harm to our planet or side effects counterbalancing the possible short-term benefits -- Harry Wexler 1962