Co2 and climate change?
CO2 (apparently) is causing climate change. Yet when the earth warms, the largest CO2 contributor, the sea, naturally omits more CO2 the warmer it becomes, as well as other natural factors like melting of the perma frost. If CO2 really is the cause of the warming, how did the earth ever cool again after previous warmings??
Answer:
The answer is reduced sun activity, when the sun is more active the Earth warms and the oceans are no longer able to hold as much CO2 so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. When there is less sun activity the Earth cools and the oceans can absorb more CO2 again and the level of CO2 reduces. The connection between the level of CO2 and temperature is what originally lead to the AGW theory.
Currently only 0.038% of our atmosphere is CO2, this is less than the amount of Argon. The level of CO2 is relatively low in comparison with most other time periods.
Co2 doesnt cause the earth to warm up that much. It is a green house gas but there is other factors to consider.
Scientists actually will tell you that the earth warming up actually causes the Co2 level to increase not the other way round.
If you look at studies from history and ground samples you will see that earth has warmed and cooled many times in the past and that we are in a global warming period that has been steadily increasing since before cars were on the road, which proves that todays global warming being blamed on us is actually more natural thank we think.
Dont believe the hype, and scare tactics
Seemingly simple question but very complicated answer, I won't go into technical details as it would take too long.
Historically CO2 levels have been many times higher than they are now, when the Earth was still young levels could have been 20 to 30 times as much as present.
Over the billions of years the planet has been around the climate has become more equable and levels of atmospheric gases have become less extreme - Earth is effectively reaching it's own equilibrium.
Atmospheric gases such as CO2 also reach a point of equilibrium due in part to the law of diminishing returns (the more there is of something the less the effect of increasing the amount). So there comes a time when increasing levels of CO2 have very little effect on climate, at this point a natural trigger can switch from increasing to decreasing levels.
This trigger can be one of several factors, it could be ecological, biological, geological, hydrological, astronomical or atmospheric.
The rate of co2 has incresed really so much that every thing spreads global warming
http://profend.com/global-warming/...
this site will definitly help you
the answer to how the earth's systems manage homestasis - keeping temperature & chemical composition of oceans & atmosphere suitable for life as we know it despite pertubations is explained best by James Lovelock's Gaia hypothosis
Like all systems there are a large number of complex interrelated feedback mechanisms, some positive some negative.
The problem with complex systems is that they are non-linear, and what human activity is doing is disrupting many of the stabilising feedback mechanisms, eg forests, corals; while at the same time forcing the potential for run-away by increasing the greenhouse gasses, so melting white reflective ice means oceans & land absorb more heat, and melt permafrost releasing methane ...
for detailed explanations of how it works based on actual data, and even accepted by the sceptical, oil based, US government, see http://www.ipcc.ch
We have never had a warming on record like we are experiencing now. The seas, lakes and oceans can only absorb a certain percentage of CO2. Our bodies of water have reached their limit, so that leaves increases levels of 'free traveling' CO2. With record warming, water off the coast of Alaska is recorded to have raised a 4 degree average increase! That is a LOT for water, and is upsetting the balance of things there.
I don't think anybody will really be able to give you a proper answer on this one. I admit I used to be somebody who would talk about saving the planet, but after doing some actual Earth Science I'm beginning to realise just how complicated it is. There are so many feedbacks within the climate system.
But there are some things that might help you decide your opinion. Firstly, things like the suns tilt and orbit actually effect our climate. It's argued that it is this that causes the Earth to swing back and forth between glacials and interglacials (due to the different amount of radiation forced on the Earth).
Also, CO2 is definately important in our climate. It MAY only make up a small fraction of our atmosphere but because of the chemical properties of the gas it has a significant effect. It absorbs radiation of a certain wavelength which happens to coincide with a large proportion of radiation emitted by the Earths surface. So it has a significant effect on trapping radiation.
I cant claim to be an expert at all... but I know its more complicated than the media will show. :)
Greenhouse gases are only one part of the story, CO2 is only one of the minor greenhouse gasses (95% of the greenhouse effect is caused by water vapour) and man made CO2 is only a tiny fraction of all the CO2 going into the environment. So if we stopped all industrial activity, it would hardly make a measurable difference to global warming. The latest weather data shows that the earth is warming at a rate of 0.08 degrees C per decade(calculated from a 20 year running average) this means that if thing stay the same, it will take 125 years for the temperature to rise 1 degree C. Of course, things will not stay the same as the oil will run out long before then
CO2 from human activity is a small fraction of the CO2 released each year naturally. But that small added fraction is not balanced out by a corresponding small increase in the ability of the environment to remove CO2, so it IS building up in the air. If there are 100 billion tons released naturally every year and 100 billion tons absorbed naturally each year, all is OK. If there are 100 billion tons released naturally every year and one additional billion tons released by burning coal and oil, and 101 billion tons absorbed naturally each year, that would be fine too. But that is not what is happening. What is happening is that there are 101 billion tons released, 100 natural and 1 from people, and 100 billion tons absorbed naturally. The result is that an extra billion tons are added to the air every year. That may not be a problem now, and it may not become a problem for 100 years, but at some point it will be a problem.
But I do agree that all the hype and stories of death and destruction are false.
GOD put plants here to take care of the CO2 and the plants are doing a great job. As far as the CO2 in the oceans there is a problem. Take a coke and put in a tea spoon of salt and the CO2 will rush out. So I don't think there is that much CO2 in our oceans. CO2 does not like salt water.
This is well understood science. Details:
Natural warmings and coolings before our industrial society were mostly caused by the Sun.
In particular we got out of ice ages (this problem did puzzle scientists for many years) when the three "Milankovic cycles" peaked together and got us out.
See Milankovic's book, "Canon of Insolation and the Ice Age Problem", which is well accepted science.
So how do we know it's not the Sun now? Mostly because tens of scientists continually measure it. Starting about 40 years ago, our production of greenhouse gases became more important.
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/ima...
Also, the Milankovic cycles say we should have a relatively stable climate now.
Good site for explaining common myths about global warming:
http://environment.newscientist.com/chan...
Good site for more info on global warming, and real data:
http://profend.com/global-warming/...
I did an undergraduate module in climatology at Uni: According to a book I read there has been a corresponding increase in blue-green algae since the start of the industrial revolution, resulting in no net gain in CO2 in the atmosphere.
Also, more worryingly, there is an ice age every 10-14,000 years. The last one was 10,000 years ago: we are about 4000 years overdue for an ice age, start to worry about global cooling rather than warming!
What you say is not some kind of argument against global warming, you are stating the crux of everyone's fear.
Fear is, at it's base, how people respond to the unknown.
I'm not a fear-monger, and I believe there are better reasons to conserve energy and reduce pollution, but...
We do not know how the earth will cool again, because there has never, at least never in the last 400,000 years (according to NASA's data), been this much CO2 in the atmosphere.
In other words, NATURAL processes in the earth and sun have NEVER dealt with absorbing and processing this much CO2 since before the existence of the human race. That fact alone should be enough for every human being on this earth to reduce their CO2 emissions, whatever the cause, in order to preserve our species.
The aim is to scare you so they can charge you a lot more for flying and using electricity etc.
The truth is we DO need to husband resources and use them more effectively but that is because billions of people are starving etc.
The political elite believe that not enough care enough to be told the truth why they should change the way we live(to help others) so they lie to you.
It also makes a lot of money and they can help their 'friends' legitimately who can in turn help to fund their election campaigns.
Politicians will always agree with something when they see the 'tide has turned' and a voiceiferous minority that sounds like a majority have the floor of the chamber.
I don't see that the CO2 has increased in my lifetime. When I was at school 50 years ago, we learned that CO2 amounted to 0,03 percent of the atmospheric gases. It is precisely the same level today, we are told. Any less and the trees would die of asphyxia!
More likely that the Sun has increased its output to gas mark 6 and we are going to benefit from longer, warmer summers, and less hard winters. I would like to think that eventually, even the British will be able to stop complaining about the weather!
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Answer:
The answer is reduced sun activity, when the sun is more active the Earth warms and the oceans are no longer able to hold as much CO2 so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. When there is less sun activity the Earth cools and the oceans can absorb more CO2 again and the level of CO2 reduces. The connection between the level of CO2 and temperature is what originally lead to the AGW theory.
Currently only 0.038% of our atmosphere is CO2, this is less than the amount of Argon. The level of CO2 is relatively low in comparison with most other time periods.
Co2 doesnt cause the earth to warm up that much. It is a green house gas but there is other factors to consider.
Scientists actually will tell you that the earth warming up actually causes the Co2 level to increase not the other way round.
If you look at studies from history and ground samples you will see that earth has warmed and cooled many times in the past and that we are in a global warming period that has been steadily increasing since before cars were on the road, which proves that todays global warming being blamed on us is actually more natural thank we think.
Dont believe the hype, and scare tactics
Seemingly simple question but very complicated answer, I won't go into technical details as it would take too long.
Historically CO2 levels have been many times higher than they are now, when the Earth was still young levels could have been 20 to 30 times as much as present.
Over the billions of years the planet has been around the climate has become more equable and levels of atmospheric gases have become less extreme - Earth is effectively reaching it's own equilibrium.
Atmospheric gases such as CO2 also reach a point of equilibrium due in part to the law of diminishing returns (the more there is of something the less the effect of increasing the amount). So there comes a time when increasing levels of CO2 have very little effect on climate, at this point a natural trigger can switch from increasing to decreasing levels.
This trigger can be one of several factors, it could be ecological, biological, geological, hydrological, astronomical or atmospheric.
The rate of co2 has incresed really so much that every thing spreads global warming
http://profend.com/global-warming/...
this site will definitly help you
the answer to how the earth's systems manage homestasis - keeping temperature & chemical composition of oceans & atmosphere suitable for life as we know it despite pertubations is explained best by James Lovelock's Gaia hypothosis
Like all systems there are a large number of complex interrelated feedback mechanisms, some positive some negative.
The problem with complex systems is that they are non-linear, and what human activity is doing is disrupting many of the stabilising feedback mechanisms, eg forests, corals; while at the same time forcing the potential for run-away by increasing the greenhouse gasses, so melting white reflective ice means oceans & land absorb more heat, and melt permafrost releasing methane ...
for detailed explanations of how it works based on actual data, and even accepted by the sceptical, oil based, US government, see http://www.ipcc.ch
We have never had a warming on record like we are experiencing now. The seas, lakes and oceans can only absorb a certain percentage of CO2. Our bodies of water have reached their limit, so that leaves increases levels of 'free traveling' CO2. With record warming, water off the coast of Alaska is recorded to have raised a 4 degree average increase! That is a LOT for water, and is upsetting the balance of things there.
I don't think anybody will really be able to give you a proper answer on this one. I admit I used to be somebody who would talk about saving the planet, but after doing some actual Earth Science I'm beginning to realise just how complicated it is. There are so many feedbacks within the climate system.
But there are some things that might help you decide your opinion. Firstly, things like the suns tilt and orbit actually effect our climate. It's argued that it is this that causes the Earth to swing back and forth between glacials and interglacials (due to the different amount of radiation forced on the Earth).
Also, CO2 is definately important in our climate. It MAY only make up a small fraction of our atmosphere but because of the chemical properties of the gas it has a significant effect. It absorbs radiation of a certain wavelength which happens to coincide with a large proportion of radiation emitted by the Earths surface. So it has a significant effect on trapping radiation.
I cant claim to be an expert at all... but I know its more complicated than the media will show. :)
Greenhouse gases are only one part of the story, CO2 is only one of the minor greenhouse gasses (95% of the greenhouse effect is caused by water vapour) and man made CO2 is only a tiny fraction of all the CO2 going into the environment. So if we stopped all industrial activity, it would hardly make a measurable difference to global warming. The latest weather data shows that the earth is warming at a rate of 0.08 degrees C per decade(calculated from a 20 year running average) this means that if thing stay the same, it will take 125 years for the temperature to rise 1 degree C. Of course, things will not stay the same as the oil will run out long before then
CO2 from human activity is a small fraction of the CO2 released each year naturally. But that small added fraction is not balanced out by a corresponding small increase in the ability of the environment to remove CO2, so it IS building up in the air. If there are 100 billion tons released naturally every year and 100 billion tons absorbed naturally each year, all is OK. If there are 100 billion tons released naturally every year and one additional billion tons released by burning coal and oil, and 101 billion tons absorbed naturally each year, that would be fine too. But that is not what is happening. What is happening is that there are 101 billion tons released, 100 natural and 1 from people, and 100 billion tons absorbed naturally. The result is that an extra billion tons are added to the air every year. That may not be a problem now, and it may not become a problem for 100 years, but at some point it will be a problem.
But I do agree that all the hype and stories of death and destruction are false.
GOD put plants here to take care of the CO2 and the plants are doing a great job. As far as the CO2 in the oceans there is a problem. Take a coke and put in a tea spoon of salt and the CO2 will rush out. So I don't think there is that much CO2 in our oceans. CO2 does not like salt water.
This is well understood science. Details:
Natural warmings and coolings before our industrial society were mostly caused by the Sun.
In particular we got out of ice ages (this problem did puzzle scientists for many years) when the three "Milankovic cycles" peaked together and got us out.
See Milankovic's book, "Canon of Insolation and the Ice Age Problem", which is well accepted science.
So how do we know it's not the Sun now? Mostly because tens of scientists continually measure it. Starting about 40 years ago, our production of greenhouse gases became more important.
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/ima...
Also, the Milankovic cycles say we should have a relatively stable climate now.
Good site for explaining common myths about global warming:
http://environment.newscientist.com/chan...
Good site for more info on global warming, and real data:
http://profend.com/global-warming/...
I did an undergraduate module in climatology at Uni: According to a book I read there has been a corresponding increase in blue-green algae since the start of the industrial revolution, resulting in no net gain in CO2 in the atmosphere.
Also, more worryingly, there is an ice age every 10-14,000 years. The last one was 10,000 years ago: we are about 4000 years overdue for an ice age, start to worry about global cooling rather than warming!
What you say is not some kind of argument against global warming, you are stating the crux of everyone's fear.
Fear is, at it's base, how people respond to the unknown.
I'm not a fear-monger, and I believe there are better reasons to conserve energy and reduce pollution, but...
We do not know how the earth will cool again, because there has never, at least never in the last 400,000 years (according to NASA's data), been this much CO2 in the atmosphere.
In other words, NATURAL processes in the earth and sun have NEVER dealt with absorbing and processing this much CO2 since before the existence of the human race. That fact alone should be enough for every human being on this earth to reduce their CO2 emissions, whatever the cause, in order to preserve our species.
The aim is to scare you so they can charge you a lot more for flying and using electricity etc.
The truth is we DO need to husband resources and use them more effectively but that is because billions of people are starving etc.
The political elite believe that not enough care enough to be told the truth why they should change the way we live(to help others) so they lie to you.
It also makes a lot of money and they can help their 'friends' legitimately who can in turn help to fund their election campaigns.
Politicians will always agree with something when they see the 'tide has turned' and a voiceiferous minority that sounds like a majority have the floor of the chamber.
I don't see that the CO2 has increased in my lifetime. When I was at school 50 years ago, we learned that CO2 amounted to 0,03 percent of the atmospheric gases. It is precisely the same level today, we are told. Any less and the trees would die of asphyxia!
More likely that the Sun has increased its output to gas mark 6 and we are going to benefit from longer, warmer summers, and less hard winters. I would like to think that eventually, even the British will be able to stop complaining about the weather!
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