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Study: Even if All Emissions Were Cut Now, Warming Could Continue
Daily Tech ^ | February 16, 2011 2:39 PM | Jason Mick (Blog)

Posted on 02/17/2011 5:56:08 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Researcher calls the conclusions of the UN's IPCC incomplete and flawed


Even the best climate models are affected by uncertainty in how much aerosols contribute to global warming. That uncertainty could mean that emissions cuts could reduce warming -- or that it might continue to increase for a while, despite cuts. Those are the conclusions of a recent review published by a University of Washington grad student. (Source: NOAA)

***************************

Kyle Armour, a doctoral student in physics at the University of Washington is boldly challenging that certain assertions of the Nobel Prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change, in their current state, may be flawed.  He argues that the UN's suggestion that stopping aerosol emissions will stop warming is misleading [press release].  These conclusions are noteworthy, given the controversial state of warming research and legislation aimed to "stop" global warming.

At issue is various climatology models, collected from published research, that attempt to simulate the effects of changing global climate variables. These variables include changing the levels of an "aerosols" (atmospheric dust) like sea salt or soot from burning fossil fuels; or greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO2 or methane.  The effects of these variables are dubbed "forcings" (aerosol forcing, GHG forcings, solar forcing, etc.).  Various forcings sum up to predict a net climate change and its contributors by approximate percentage.  

Models are typically fit to current data, but the narrow range that many climate variables have been constrained to in the modern era limits them.  They're also limited by how many variables and effects on those variables they consider.  Last, but not least, they're limited by how accurately and completely we can measure certain variables (e.g. total global aerosol levels).


In this case, Kyle Armour says that current models are flawed in that they fail to consider how high the uncertainty is regarding the amount that aerosols contribute to climate change.  

He says that the aerosols could contribute a lot to climate change, or only a little.  

In the "best case" scenario they would only contribute a little to net warming, thus they would not be masking the effects of GHG-related warming.  If all emissions of aerosols and GHGs stopped (a cessation of fossil fuel burning, and mammalian livestock farming, in short) the aerosols would quickly exit the atmosphere.  GHGs would remain for years at elevated levels, but the net result would be a slight decrease in temperatures by about half a degree Fahrenheit, given that the aerosols were the chief culprits.

In other words, the current temperature, which is about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-Industrial Revolution levels would dip to only 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit above that base level -- but wouldn’t return entirely for many years.

Society can obviously not just instantly cut emissions, Mr. Armour acknowledges, but he says that such a scenario would offer justification to emissions cuts.

However, it's also possible that aerosols offer a larger contribution and are masking the effects of GHGs.  In this case, even if emissions stopped, temperatures would continue to rise and likely reach 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-Industrial Revolution levels, as the GHGs would persist in the atmosphere.  Such a temperature increase would likely cause some of the more severe predicted climate change effects (though it could offer benefits as well).

In other words, Mr. Armour is arguing that uncertainty in the aerosol components of models may lead to the IPCC significantly underestimating the amount of warming that will occur under various scenarios.

Mr. Armour says that keeping this uncertainty in mind is critical and the IPCC needs to do a better job in doing so in its next report.  He states, "This is not an argument to say we should keep emitting aerosols. It is an argument that we should be smart in how we stop emitting. And it's a call to action because we know the warming we are committed to from what we have emitted already and the longer we keep emitting the worse it gets."


One interesting conclusion of the study not explored by Mr. Armour is the question of maximum forcing.  Clearly historically temperatures rose due to increased GHGs, but leveled off (reach equilibrium) or reversed as the global system dampened the warming effects.  (In other words the Earth remained habitable, if a bit hotter, and didn't become some sort of arid, barren fireball.)  This equilibrium may be reached by a number of mechanisms -- radiative heat loss into space/changes in ocean currents/changes in atmospheric water vapor, etc.  The question is what is the "maximum" reachable temperature?  

If Mr. Armour is correct and we may already be locked in to a large temperature rise, the question is whether we'll reach this maximum.  If so, the climate change will already be enacted.  While this will be unfortunate in some ways (population would have to shift, growing areas would shift, etc.) and fortunate in others, humanity would already be forced to adapt to the change.

If indeed a maximum with dampening is destined to be reached, stopping emissions would do little good (unless we can somehow remove a significant quantity of GHGs from the atmosphere, which does not seem currently feasible).  Thus the question of whether fossil fuel and farming emissions should be cut, and if so how much, largely rests on a data set that is largely unknown and uncertain.  Mr. Armour's key conclusion is in noting this, and in noting that the IPCC needs to do a better job informing policy makers (politicians) of this uncertainty.

Mr. Armour's work has been published [abstract] in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Conspiracy; Science; Weather
KEYWORDS: climatechange; climatemodels; globalwarminghoax; gorebullwarming; ipcc
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1 posted on 02/17/2011 5:56:18 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: NormsRevenge; steelyourfaith; Grampa Dave; SierraWasp; tubebender; Carry_Okie; Brad's Gramma; ...
One could add that there is major uncertainty in the actual recorded temperatures before the manipulation is applied....

Just putting this out here for all to read.

2 posted on 02/17/2011 5:58:42 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
What combination of events, if any, would disprove global-warming/climate-change?

Or does anything that happens proof of it - hot, cold, indifferent?

3 posted on 02/17/2011 5:59:46 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum ("If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun." -- Barry Soetoro, June 11, 2008)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

IPCC = BS


4 posted on 02/17/2011 6:00:09 PM PST by samtheman
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

The best scientific modeling so far suggests that in 1944 the oceans froze solid, followed by the atmosphere in 1967.

dang cow flatulance.


5 posted on 02/17/2011 6:00:58 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.stink-eye.net/forum/index.php for FR backup site!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yes.

No matter what happens the cult of climate change will declare it was caused by man.


6 posted on 02/17/2011 6:02:39 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.stink-eye.net/forum/index.php for FR backup site!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"If Mr. Armour is correct and we may already be locked in to a large temperature rise, the question is whether we'll reach this maximum."
The lies where so well spread about and still have not be debunked. Who's model's show a actual rise in global temperatures that can be verified. Answer. No one's. Only crap generated out of the GISS etc., that then are shown to be bullshit by more careful researchers.
7 posted on 02/17/2011 6:02:47 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned....Duncan Hunter Sr. for POTUS.)
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To: All
I may have messed up the link...try this:

Study: Even if All Emissions Were Cut Now, Warming Could Continue

8 posted on 02/17/2011 6:03:04 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: GeronL

Hah - Great observation!

We won’t talk about the volcanic eruptions in Iceland or the huge solar flares about to come our way. Naw it’s my Lysol that’s doing it.


9 posted on 02/17/2011 6:03:37 PM PST by Sioux-san
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To: All
From the comments:

*******************************EXCERPT**************************************

primary driver of climate

By kattanna on 2/16/11, Rating: 5
By kattanna on 2/16/2011 3:00:22 PM , Rating: 5
areosols..CO2.. etc cute.

i'll give you 1 guess whats the primary driver of global climate, and its not our thin little atmosphere.

also, it amazes me the sheer arrogance of some now who think that the worlds "perfect" climate was during the early 1800's.

also like jason was alluding too, during those times in our past when the planet as a whole was warmer, sometimes much warmer, its funny they call those periods climate optimums. periods of rampant and widespread fertility. yeah would be a shame to enter one of those..


10 posted on 02/17/2011 6:04:29 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Modeling isn’t science, but this is just another flaw in the logic of warmists. Even if we did everything the left wants, it wouldn’t do anything to the climate.


11 posted on 02/17/2011 6:08:04 PM PST by Brett66 (Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: Sioux-san

That is true. One good eruption will put more “carbon” into the high atmosphere in weeks than humans have caused in their history.


12 posted on 02/17/2011 6:10:11 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.stink-eye.net/forum/index.php for FR backup site!)
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To: Marine_Uncle
I was trying to figure out what the NOAA Grapic of the Earth was saying...mystery to me.

Something about precipation per day.

13 posted on 02/17/2011 6:10:21 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: GeronL

Reduce the cows ...


14 posted on 02/17/2011 6:11:10 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

The NOW gang wouldn’t like being reduced.


15 posted on 02/17/2011 6:13:20 PM PST by GeronL (http://www.stink-eye.net/forum/index.php for FR backup site!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

what warming.
I love how they report that this global warming is fact when the fact is that the earth has cooled over the last ten years


16 posted on 02/17/2011 6:13:37 PM PST by manc (Shame on all who voted for the repeal of DADT, who supported it or never tried to stop it. Traitors)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

They really, really, really must hate aerosols. I blame feminists in the 80’s and big hair envy.


17 posted on 02/17/2011 6:22:02 PM PST by Moose Burger
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To: manc
GISS and Dr. James Hansen claim that it has warmed....

Guess that is what he is referencing....

I don't believe Hansen.

18 posted on 02/17/2011 6:22:03 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

As far as GloBULL Warming goes... SHUT UP and give me a DOUBLE. I’m Freezing my butt off here in NY!!


19 posted on 02/17/2011 6:23:16 PM PST by gwilhelm56 (Egypt 2011 = Iran 1979)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

As far as GloBULL Warming goes... SHUT UP and give me a DOUBLE. I’m Freezing my butt off here in NY!!


20 posted on 02/17/2011 6:23:22 PM PST by gwilhelm56 (Egypt 2011 = Iran 1979)
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