Climate Letter #2048

I have been raising the question of why and how increasing the abundance of molecules of a particular greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is sufficient cause for an increase in surface temperatures—given the apparent fact that a smaller population can trap any number of outward-bound photons of its specialty wavelength via practically unlimited numbers of trappings-plus-re-emissions. We have to always keep in mind the fact that the gas itself cannot create one bit of energy. All it can do is to transmit energy, which in this case involves altering the direction in which energy from an outside source is flowing.

The ultimate source of all this energy is delivered by the sun. A good share of incoming rays are captured at the surface, and a portion of what is captured ends up in storage at varying depths below the surface. An interesting point to keep in mind is the fact that pure water is transparent to sunlight and does virtually no capturing. Solar rays approaching an ocean surface will penetrate the surface and keep going until they run into some other kind of material. There is usually plenty of such available just below the surface in the form of biomass that welcomes the input of shortwave energy and goes on from there to facilitate the storage process. The surface itself does get warmer, but much of that heat is introduced by conduction coming up from below in a longwave format. By contrast, when energy is returned to the surface at the completion of a round trip induced by the greenhouse effect it will arrive as longwave photons that will be captured right at the surface and cause immediate warming of the topmost layers of water. This difference from solar in style of input greatly facilitates the beginning of an added round of emissions from the surface back to space. This new batch of photons will be captured by GHG molecules, again reversing the energy flow by half. This can happen repeatedly, on a steadily diminishing scale. It keeps the molecules busy, and if the proportion of greenhouse energy happens to grow, relative to more stable solar inputs, they can only get busier.

We should not forget that about 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. On land everything is different. All energy inputs tend to be captured right at the surface, and only a small amount of what is captured is stored beneath the surface, largely by conduction, with varying degrees of efficiency. On all surfaces, whenever the sun is active, which is 50% of the time over the course of a year, solar heating of the nearby subsurface will tend to increase, and then practically all of that increase will tend to drain off toward space during the other 50%. Greenhouse energy inputs and outflows are not subject to this kind of on-and-off mechanism, so they both cycle from low to high in a much more moderate way.

Now, concerning the question about why and how an increase in GHG abundance causes an increase in surface temperatures, the best answer I can think of begins with the fact that all basic energy flows originating at the surface eventually do make an escape from the atmosphere. Everything may be clogged up in the lower atmosphere, leading to shortened photon travels as flows go back and forth, and still be so in the middle, but half of all emissions at all times inevitably remain headed on an outbound path. At the top of the atmosphere, where the air is much thinner, and GHG molecules are in positions farther and farther apart, photon trips between intermediate captures will become longer and longer. At some point there just won’t be any more interference, and off they go. When a particular gas has increased in abundance, and has spread out evenly throughout the atmosphere, the molecules at the very highest level will be closer together than they were before, thus causing a further delay in the final break to freedom. That delay creates an opportunity for one more round trip of energy flow to the surface and back. The flow in this trip will not be massive relative to the others, but it will be enough to create one more increment of warming at the surface that did not happen previously. Those increments should grow in magnitude as long as the abundance of the molecules of this gas keeps growing and causing more crowding of molecules at the top of the atmosphere.

If there is any change in this format, then the pills are definitely not the original. canada viagra no prescription Let us move further to know more about them: Improving Circulation: Massage therapy aims at improving the blood and finally leading you to firm erections. pharmacy viagra prices Pfizer pharmaceuticals brought up the finest medication of ED in this world which contain an order viagra without prescription active ingredient responsible to remove the ED. Therapists work to maintain and the improve the http://downtownsault.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2014-Outhouse-Rules-Registration-Waiver.pdf lowest prices on viagra use of muscles, bones and joints of the body.

I think this description still needs some refinement, but generally makes sense as long as we are talking about the evenly-mixed GHGs that have long lifetimes and hold steady in their manner of positioning. Water vapor is a completely different kind of gas, and its greenhouse energy effect is entirely different from the others. I am sure it will require a different kind of explanation, of which I have practically nothing to say at this time, but maybe later.

Carl

This entry was posted in Daily Climate Letters. Bookmark the permalink.