With all the talk about global warming, why don't we have more real facts and open minded analysis? That is point of this blog.
I would like to look at this business of global warming from a different angle. First, I would like to look at the heating from the Sun. Why is it that we have heard so little about the energy coming from the Sun? We know that it changes over time, but like watching grass grow, it does not change very fast in human terms. This is just the first part. How much heat from the Sun gets thru to the Earth is another factor. Our atmosphere is the incoming filter for this energy and it too has changed over time. Why don't we hear anything about this factor? I think that the Earth's atmosphere has gotten thinner over time and thus lets in more direct energy from the Sun. I base this on the fact that we see other planets in our solar system who have lost their atmosphere and are now much hotter.
Now, how about heat loss. It seems clear that we had a lot more liquid water on Earth than we have today. The main way that water escaped is by first changing state from liquid to a gas and then the gas escaped into outer space. That means the Sun had to provide the energy to "boil" the liquid water into a gas. As the amount of water and the amount of the Earth covered by water has gone down, the "cooling" affect of this evaporation has decreased. This means that the Earth has less and less of an ability to cool itself over time. Water is very critical due to the fact that it has a specific heat of 1.0, one of the highest for any material. Like I mentioned above, we know that other planets in our solar system have had liquid water at one time, but not any more. Over time, the Sun has boiled off that water just like it is now doing on Earth.
Many of those who claim that Carbon Dioxide is the main reason for what appears to be global warming omit the impact of other gases in the atmosphere or other factors. What we need to do is to recognize that there are many more factors that cause the Earth to gain and lose energy from the Sun. If these people can not explain by science why things like the ice age happened or ended, how can we give total trust to other claims that they now make regarding global warming?
PS---Another thing. Why is all the focus on the "average" temperature of the Earth and not on the range of wild swings in temperature? If you try to live in a place with an average temperature of 70f, but with a range of 150f and -100f, you would be "dead". As the atmosphere gets thinner, its ability to smooth out the variations in temperature goes down and that is what I think is happening. We know that on some of the planets with no or very little atmosphere have day to night ranges in temperature from over 200f and - 150f so you can see the impact of a thin or no atmosphere. I blogged in the past that the thickness of our atmosphere is thinner than a water film on a basket ball. The Earth is 25,000 miles around, but 50% of the atmosphere is below just two miles. Think about that. If that basket ball were to dry out, we would all be dead.
I would like to look at this business of global warming from a different angle. First, I would like to look at the heating from the Sun. Why is it that we have heard so little about the energy coming from the Sun? We know that it changes over time, but like watching grass grow, it does not change very fast in human terms. This is just the first part. How much heat from the Sun gets thru to the Earth is another factor. Our atmosphere is the incoming filter for this energy and it too has changed over time. Why don't we hear anything about this factor? I think that the Earth's atmosphere has gotten thinner over time and thus lets in more direct energy from the Sun. I base this on the fact that we see other planets in our solar system who have lost their atmosphere and are now much hotter.
Now, how about heat loss. It seems clear that we had a lot more liquid water on Earth than we have today. The main way that water escaped is by first changing state from liquid to a gas and then the gas escaped into outer space. That means the Sun had to provide the energy to "boil" the liquid water into a gas. As the amount of water and the amount of the Earth covered by water has gone down, the "cooling" affect of this evaporation has decreased. This means that the Earth has less and less of an ability to cool itself over time. Water is very critical due to the fact that it has a specific heat of 1.0, one of the highest for any material. Like I mentioned above, we know that other planets in our solar system have had liquid water at one time, but not any more. Over time, the Sun has boiled off that water just like it is now doing on Earth.
Many of those who claim that Carbon Dioxide is the main reason for what appears to be global warming omit the impact of other gases in the atmosphere or other factors. What we need to do is to recognize that there are many more factors that cause the Earth to gain and lose energy from the Sun. If these people can not explain by science why things like the ice age happened or ended, how can we give total trust to other claims that they now make regarding global warming?
PS---Another thing. Why is all the focus on the "average" temperature of the Earth and not on the range of wild swings in temperature? If you try to live in a place with an average temperature of 70f, but with a range of 150f and -100f, you would be "dead". As the atmosphere gets thinner, its ability to smooth out the variations in temperature goes down and that is what I think is happening. We know that on some of the planets with no or very little atmosphere have day to night ranges in temperature from over 200f and - 150f so you can see the impact of a thin or no atmosphere. I blogged in the past that the thickness of our atmosphere is thinner than a water film on a basket ball. The Earth is 25,000 miles around, but 50% of the atmosphere is below just two miles. Think about that. If that basket ball were to dry out, we would all be dead.
