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Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
Gavin A. Schmidt
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Reto A. Ruedy
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Ron L. Miller
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Andy A. Lacis
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
is the dominant contributor (∼50% of the effect), followed by clouds
(∼25%) and then CO2 with ∼20%. All other absorbers play only minor
roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
sensitivity.
See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
____________________________________
"Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
between global warming and greenhouse gases.
Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
January 2011, page 33
"In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
energy would raise Earth’s temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
wavelengths of 5–50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
bring to fruition.
"Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
See: http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
Gavin A. Schmidt
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Reto A. Ruedy
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Ron L. Miller
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
Andy A. Lacis
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
is the dominant contributor (∼50% of the effect), followed by clouds
(∼25%) and then CO2 with ∼20%. All other absorbers play only minor
roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
sensitivity.
See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
____________________________________
"Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
between global warming and greenhouse gases.
Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
January 2011, page 33
"In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
energy would raise Earth’s temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
wavelengths of 5–50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
bring to fruition.
"Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
See: http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
On 2/13/11 8:02 AM, Sam Wormley wrote:
See: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/papers/PhysTodayRT2011.pdf
See: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/papers/PhysTodayRT2011.pdf
> On 2/13/11 8:02 AM, Sam Wormley wrote:
>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>> http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>> Gavin A. Schmidt
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Reto A. Ruedy
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Ron L. Miller
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Andy A. Lacis
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
>> present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
>> statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
>> in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
>> contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
>> sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
>> we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
>> Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
>> of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
>> straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
>> is the dominant contributor (?50% of the effect), followed by clouds
>> (?25%) and then CO2 with ?20%. All other absorbers play only minor
>> roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
>> unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
>> significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
>> the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
>> sensitivity.
>> See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
>> ____________________________________
>> "Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
>> http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
>> Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
>> http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
>> Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
>> theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
>> universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
>> between global warming and greenhouse gases.
>> Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
>> January 2011, page 33
>> "In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
>> the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
>> energy would raise Earth's temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
>> billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
>> sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
>> at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
>> which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
>> wavelengths of 5-50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
>> and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
>> thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
>> absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
>> Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
>> discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
>> which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
>> the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
>> program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
>> bring to fruition.
>> "Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
>> precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
>> centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
>> its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
>> heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
>> planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
>> range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
>> heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
>> transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
>> temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
>> interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
>> global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
>> dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
>> http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>> Gavin A. Schmidt
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Reto A. Ruedy
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Ron L. Miller
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> Andy A. Lacis
>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>> The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
>> present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
>> statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
>> in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
>> contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
>> sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
>> we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
>> Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
>> of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
>> straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
>> is the dominant contributor (?50% of the effect), followed by clouds
>> (?25%) and then CO2 with ?20%. All other absorbers play only minor
>> roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
>> unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
>> significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
>> the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
>> sensitivity.
>> See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
>> ____________________________________
>> "Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
>> http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
>> Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
>> http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
>> Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
>> theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
>> universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
>> between global warming and greenhouse gases.
>> Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
>> January 2011, page 33
>> "In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
>> the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
>> energy would raise Earth's temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
>> billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
>> sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
>> at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
>> which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
>> wavelengths of 5-50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
>> and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
>> thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
>> absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
>> Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
>> discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
>> which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
>> the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
>> program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
>> bring to fruition.
>> "Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
>> precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
>> centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
>> its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
>> heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
>> planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
>> range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
>> heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
>> transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
>> temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
>> interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
>> global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
>> dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
> See: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/papers/PhysTodayRT2011.pdf
I like how the author performs a very scientific and detailed analysis of
thermal transfer and then simply makes the gigantic leap that the current
increase in carbon dioxide is anthropogenic.
On 2/22/11 3:00 PM, Moderate wrote:
Why Are Americans So Ill-Informed about Climate Change?
Scientists and journalists debate why Americans still resist the
consensus among research organizations that humans are warming the globe
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-americans-so-ill&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_BS_20110225
"Near the forum’s conclusion, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
climate scientist Kerry Emanuel asked a panel of journalists why the
media continues to cover anthropogenic climate change as a controversy
or debate, when in fact it is a consensus among such organizations as
the American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Physics, American
Chemical Society, American Meteorological Association and the National
Research Council, along with the national academies of more than two
dozen countries.
"You haven't persuaded the public," replied Elizabeth Shogren of
National Public Radio. Emanuel immediately countered, smiling and
pointing at Shogren, "No, you haven't." Scattered applause followed in
the audience of mostly scientists, with one heckler saying, "That's
right. Kerry said it."
"Such a tone of searching bewilderment typified a handful of sessions
that dealt with the struggle to motivate Americans on the topic of
climate change. Only 35 percent of Americans see climate change as a
serious problem, according to a 2009 poll by the Pew Research Center for
the People & the Press".
See:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-americans-so-ill&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_BS_20110225
>> On 2/13/11 8:02 AM, Sam Wormley wrote:
>>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>>> http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
>>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>>> Gavin A. Schmidt
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Reto A. Ruedy
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Ron L. Miller
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Andy A. Lacis
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
>>> present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
>>> statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
>>> in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
>>> contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
>>> sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
>>> we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
>>> Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
>>> of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
>>> straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
>>> is the dominant contributor (?50% of the effect), followed by clouds
>>> (?25%) and then CO2 with ?20%. All other absorbers play only minor
>>> roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
>>> unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
>>> significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
>>> the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
>>> sensitivity.
>>> See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
>>> ____________________________________
>>> "Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
>>> http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
>>> Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
>>> http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
>>> Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
>>> theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
>>> universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
>>> between global warming and greenhouse gases.
>>> Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
>>> January 2011, page 33
>>> "In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
>>> the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
>>> energy would raise Earth's temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
>>> billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
>>> sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
>>> at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
>>> which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
>>> wavelengths of 5-50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
>>> and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
>>> thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
>>> absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
>>> Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
>>> discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
>>> which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
>>> the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
>>> program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
>>> bring to fruition.
>>> "Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
>>> precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
>>> centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
>>> its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
>>> heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
>>> planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
>>> range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
>>> heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
>>> transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
>>> temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
>>> interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
>>> global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
>>> dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
>>> http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
>>> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
>>> Gavin A. Schmidt
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Reto A. Ruedy
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Ron L. Miller
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> Andy A. Lacis
>>> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
>>> The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
>>> present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
>>> statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
>>> in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
>>> contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
>>> sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
>>> we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
>>> Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
>>> of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
>>> straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
>>> is the dominant contributor (?50% of the effect), followed by clouds
>>> (?25%) and then CO2 with ?20%. All other absorbers play only minor
>>> roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
>>> unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
>>> significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
>>> the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
>>> sensitivity.
>>> See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
>>> ____________________________________
>>> "Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
>>> http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
>>> Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
>>> http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
>>> Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
>>> theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
>>> universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
>>> between global warming and greenhouse gases.
>>> Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
>>> January 2011, page 33
>>> "In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
>>> the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
>>> energy would raise Earth's temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
>>> billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
>>> sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
>>> at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
>>> which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
>>> wavelengths of 5-50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
>>> and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
>>> thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
>>> absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
>>> Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
>>> discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
>>> which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
>>> the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
>>> program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
>>> bring to fruition.
>>> "Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
>>> precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
>>> centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
>>> its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
>>> heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
>>> planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
>>> range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
>>> heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
>>> transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
>>> temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
>>> interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
>>> global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
>>> dioxide and other radiatively active gases".
>> See: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/papers/PhysTodayRT2011.pdf
> I like how the author performs a very scientific and detailed analysis of
> thermal transfer and then simply makes the gigantic leap that the current
> increase in carbon dioxide is anthropogenic.
> thermal transfer and then simply makes the gigantic leap that the current
> increase in carbon dioxide is anthropogenic.
Why Are Americans So Ill-Informed about Climate Change?
Scientists and journalists debate why Americans still resist the
consensus among research organizations that humans are warming the globe
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-americans-so-ill&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_BS_20110225
"Near the forum’s conclusion, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
climate scientist Kerry Emanuel asked a panel of journalists why the
media continues to cover anthropogenic climate change as a controversy
or debate, when in fact it is a consensus among such organizations as
the American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Physics, American
Chemical Society, American Meteorological Association and the National
Research Council, along with the national academies of more than two
dozen countries.
"You haven't persuaded the public," replied Elizabeth Shogren of
National Public Radio. Emanuel immediately countered, smiling and
pointing at Shogren, "No, you haven't." Scattered applause followed in
the audience of mostly scientists, with one heckler saying, "That's
right. Kerry said it."
"Such a tone of searching bewilderment typified a handful of sessions
that dealt with the struggle to motivate Americans on the topic of
climate change. Only 35 percent of Americans see climate change as a
serious problem, according to a 2009 poll by the Pew Research Center for
the People & the Press".
See:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-americans-so-ill&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_BS_20110225
Sam Wormley wrote:
Surely it's not about information but about belief. So long as most
Americans prefer religious over scientific explanations of the world then
they will think that the benevolent God will save the World from their
misbehaviour?
Mike (UK, BSc)
--
If reply address is Mike@@mjcoon.+.com (invalid), remove spurious "@"
and substitute "plus" for +.
> Why Are Americans So Ill-Informed about Climate Change?
> Scientists and journalists debate why Americans still resist the
> consensus among research organizations that humans are warming the
> globe
> Scientists and journalists debate why Americans still resist the
> consensus among research organizations that humans are warming the
> globe
Surely it's not about information but about belief. So long as most
Americans prefer religious over scientific explanations of the world then
they will think that the benevolent God will save the World from their
misbehaviour?
Mike (UK, BSc)
--
If reply address is Mike@@mjcoon.+.com (invalid), remove spurious "@"
and substitute "plus" for +.
- UK satellite mission to improve accuracy of climate-change measurements gains global support
- Satellite Navigation
- 2007-08-18
- CORP2009 /// Cities 3.0: smart, sustainable, innovative /// Sitges, 22-25 April 2009 /// 1st announcement & call for papers
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- 2008-10-06
- Looking for good papers and open-source codes for ephemeris prediction (long-term orbit determination)
- Satellite Navigation
- 2010-03-12
- Global Surveyors
- Garmin GPS
- 2008-01-26
- Global Surveyors
- Garmin GPS
- 2008-01-18
> http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2010/2010JD014287.shtml
> Attribution of the present-day total greenhouse effect
> Gavin A. Schmidt
> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
> Reto A. Ruedy
> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
> Ron L. Miller
> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
> Andy A. Lacis
> NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
> The relative contributions of atmospheric long-wave absorbers to the
> present-day global greenhouse effect are among the most misquoted
> statistics in public discussions of climate change. Much of the interest
> in these values is however due to an implicit assumption that these
> contributions are directly relevant for the question of climate
> sensitivity. Motivated by the need for a clear reference for this issue,
> we review the existing literature and use the Goddard Institute for
> Space Studies ModelE radiation module to provide an overview of the role
> of each absorber at the present-day and under doubled CO2. With a
> straightforward scheme for allocating overlaps, we find that water vapor
> is the dominant contributor (∼50% of the effect), followed by clouds
> (∼25%) and then CO2 with ∼20%. All other absorbers play only minor
> roles. In a doubled CO2 scenario, this allocation is essentially
> unchanged, even though the magnitude of the total greenhouse effect is
> significantly larger than the initial radiative forcing, underscoring
> the importance of feedbacks from water vapor and clouds to climate
> sensitivity.
> See: http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf
> ____________________________________
> "Principles of Planetary Climate" by R. T. Pierrehumbert
> http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/ClimateBook/ClimateVol1.pdf
> Infrared radiation and planetary temperature
> http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_1/33_1.shtml
> Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical
> theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the
> universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection
> between global warming and greenhouse gases.
> Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
> January 2011, page 33
> "In a single second, Earth absorbs 1.22 × 10^17 joules of energy from
> the Sun. Distributed uniformly over the mass of the planet, the absorbed
> energy would raise Earth’s temperature to nearly 800 000 K after a
> billion years, if Earth had no way of getting rid of it. For a planet
> sitting in the near-vacuum of outer space, the only way to lose energy
> at a significant rate is through emission of electromagnetic radiation,
> which occurs primarily in the subrange of the IR spectrum with
> wavelengths of 5–50 µm for planets with temperatures between about 50 K
> and 1000 K. For purposes of this article, that subrange is called the
> thermal IR. The key role of the energy balance between short-wave solar
> absorption and long-wave IR emission was first recognized in 1827 by
> Joseph Fourier, 1,2 about a quarter century after IR radiation was
> discovered by William Herschel. As Fourier also recognized, the rate at
> which electromagnetic radiation escapes to space is strongly affected by
> the intervening atmosphere. With those insights, Fourier set in motion a
> program in planetary climate that would take more than a century to
> bring to fruition.
> "Radiative transfer is the theory that enables the above to be made
> precise. It is a remarkably productive theory that builds on two
> centuries of work by many of the leading lights of physics. Apart from
> its role in the energy balance of planets and stars, it lies at the
> heart of all forms of remote sensing and astronomy used to observe
> planets, stars, and the universe as a whole. It is woven through a vast
> range of devices that are part of modern life, from microwave ovens to
> heat-seeking missiles. This article focuses on thermal IR radiative
> transfer in planetary atmospheres and its consequences for planetary
> temperature. Those aspects of the theory are of particular current
> interest, because they are central to the calculations predicting that
> global climate disruption arises from anthropogenic emission of carbon
> dioxide and other radiatively active gases".