Posted on 05/07/2008 3:15:40 AM PDT by porgygirl
Here are a few facts: Over 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is the result of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit. Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun's output. On top of that, natural wetlands produce more greenhouse gas contributions annually than all human sources combined.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
bump
Would you be so good as to explain that chart a little. The vertical axis throws me.
This is an excellent piece.
Sorry, I meant horizontal axis.
It is the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic irradiation.
That doesn’t mean much to me. In layman’s terms, what what does it show?
What exactly do you not understand in that simple sentence?
The illustration is actual several graphs shown for comparison and for interpretation of cumulative results.
Let’s start with the bottom one:
This shows the radiation absorbed by wavelength (think “color”) of light by the “entire atmosphere”. That means the actual air that we breath, with all its constituate components. Now, without worrying too much about the wavelengths (color) shown on the horizontal axis, look at the over-all shape of the purple squiggly line. Keep that shape in mind as you look at two other graphs in the illustration:
Look at the water vapor only graph. This shows the radiation absorbed just by water vapor. Notice how its shape is VERY SIMILAR to the first 2/3 of the total atmosphere graph?
Now look at the Oxygen only graph. Notice how its shape is VERY SIMILAR to the last 1/3 of the total atmosphere graph?
Now, do a mental combiniation of JUST THE WATER VAPOR, and the OXYGEN graphs. You will end up with something ALMOST JUST LIKE the total atmosphere graph.
What these graphs show is that the MAJORITY of the radiation absorbed in the atmosphere as a whole is due to WATER VAPOR and OXYGEN.
The effects of Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide are relatively small by comparison.
Hope that helps.
The illustration is actual several graphs shown for comparison and for interpretation of cumulative results.
Let’s start with the bottom one:
This shows the radiation absorbed by wavelength (think “color”) of light by the “entire atmosphere”. That means the actual air that we breath, with all its constituate components. Now, without worrying too much about the wavelengths (color) shown on the horizontal axis, look at the over-all shape of the purple squiggly line. Keep that shape in mind as you look at two other graphs in the illustration:
Look at the water vapor only graph. This shows the radiation absorbed just by water vapor. Notice how its shape is VERY SIMILAR to the first 2/3 of the total atmosphere graph?
Now look at the Oxygen only graph. Notice how its shape is VERY SIMILAR to the last 1/3 of the total atmosphere graph?
Now, do a mental combiniation of JUST THE WATER VAPOR, and the OXYGEN graphs. You will end up with something ALMOST JUST LIKE the total atmosphere graph.
What these graphs show is that the MAJORITY of the radiation absorbed in the atmosphere as a whole is due to WATER VAPOR and OXYGEN.
The effects of Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide are relatively small by comparison.
Hope that helps.
The shaded areas in the various graphs indicate the fraction of the incoming solar radiation that is absorbed by the different species in the air. The bigger the shaded area, the more solar radiation is trapped as heat in the atmosphere.
The horizontal axis is the wavelength of the radiation, from UV through the visible and on into the infrared (right to left is shortest wavelength to longest wavelength).
Thank you for explaining.
EXCELLENT tutorial!
Thank you for your patient, comprehensive explanation.
Of course, John Wiley publishes thousands of books. Any idea what the actual source for this figure is?
Walter E. Williams:... It's not just latter-day doomsayers who have been wrong; doomsayers have always been wrong. In 1885, the U.S. Geological Survey announced there was "little or no chance" of oil being discovered in California, and a few years later they said the same about Kansas and Texas. In 1939, the U.S. Department of the Interior said American oil supplies would last only another 13 years. In 1949, the Secretary of the Interior said the end of U.S. oil supplies was in sight. Having learned nothing from its earlier erroneous claims, in 1974 the U.S. Geological Survey advised us that the U.S. had only a 10-year supply of natural gas. The fact of the matter, according to the American Gas Association, there's a 1,000 to 2,500 year supply.
Here are my questions: In 1970, when environmentalists were making predictions of manmade global cooling and the threat of an ice age and millions of Americans starving to death, what kind of government policy should we have undertaken to prevent such a calamity? When Ehrlich predicted that England would not exist in the year 2000, what steps should the British Parliament have taken in 1970 to prevent such a dire outcome? In 1939, when the U.S. Department of the Interior warned that we only had oil supplies for another 13 years, what actions should President Roosevelt have taken? Finally, what makes us think that environmental alarmism is any more correct now that they have switched their tune to manmade global warming?
Here are a few facts: Over 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is the result of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit. Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun's output. On top of that, natural wetlands produce more greenhouse gas contributions annually than all human sources combined.
Nailed It!
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I’m just glad methane is outside the visible range.
Or...maybe not.
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