Nasa Admits Carbon Dioxide Cools the Atmosphere
Timothy Birdnow
In an article discussing the heat received fromm the recent Coronal Mass Ejecta solar flare that struck the Earth, Nasa scientists made a startling admission:
"http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22mar_saber/
"Mlynczak is the associate principal investigator for the SABER instrument onboard NASA’s TIMED satellite. SABER monitors infrared emissions from Earth’s upper atmosphere, in particular from carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), two substances that play a key role in the energy balance of air hundreds of km above our planet’s surface.
“Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats,” explains James Russell of Hampton University, SABER’s principal investigator. “When the upper atmosphere (or ‘thermosphere’) heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into
[...]
“Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to harness this kind of energy,” says Mlynczak. “It’s so diffuse and out of reach high above Earth’s surface. Plus, the majority of it has been sent back into space by the action of CO2 and NO.”
End excerpt.
So, carbon dioxide helps remove heat from the atmosphere?
I was under the impression from Hansen and others at Nasa (like Gavin Schmidt) that CO2 does nothing but HEAT the atmosphere; now we learn that it is instrumental in moving heat away from the planet!
Look, I understand; the atmosphere behaves very differently at the top, middle, and bottom layers. CO2 in the troposphere acts like a blanket (or so the theory says) while up high (where the density is so low) it simply absorbes heat and floats up to dump it (hot air rises, after all). Still, it's strange that Hansen and company never mention this thermostatic activity by CO2 when speaking with the press. Perhaps the extra CO2 put into the atmosphere by Man is keeping the planet FROM warming? How much do we REALLY understand about this? If carbon dioxide absorbes heat from solar flares, why not regular solar energy as well.
Actually, we are seeing a negative feedback loop in action. The main bone of contention between the AGW alarmists and the skeptics lies in the types of feedbacks, in how feedbacks work. The alarmists assume all positive feedback loops, each driving the temperature higher and triggering more warming. The skeptics say that many of these loops are negative, tamping down the effects of warming. Clouds, for instance, can reflect sunlight back into space, so warming oceans lead to more clouds which lead to cooling oceans.
This is but another example; more carbon dioxide may well mean that more heat is conducted back to the top of the atmosphere and dumped into space.
Don't expect to see this on the evening news, or in National Georgraphic.
In an article discussing the heat received fromm the recent Coronal Mass Ejecta solar flare that struck the Earth, Nasa scientists made a startling admission:
"http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22mar_saber/
"Mlynczak is the associate principal investigator for the SABER instrument onboard NASA’s TIMED satellite. SABER monitors infrared emissions from Earth’s upper atmosphere, in particular from carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), two substances that play a key role in the energy balance of air hundreds of km above our planet’s surface.
“Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats,” explains James Russell of Hampton University, SABER’s principal investigator. “When the upper atmosphere (or ‘thermosphere’) heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into
[...]
“Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to harness this kind of energy,” says Mlynczak. “It’s so diffuse and out of reach high above Earth’s surface. Plus, the majority of it has been sent back into space by the action of CO2 and NO.”
End excerpt.
So, carbon dioxide helps remove heat from the atmosphere?
I was under the impression from Hansen and others at Nasa (like Gavin Schmidt) that CO2 does nothing but HEAT the atmosphere; now we learn that it is instrumental in moving heat away from the planet!
Look, I understand; the atmosphere behaves very differently at the top, middle, and bottom layers. CO2 in the troposphere acts like a blanket (or so the theory says) while up high (where the density is so low) it simply absorbes heat and floats up to dump it (hot air rises, after all). Still, it's strange that Hansen and company never mention this thermostatic activity by CO2 when speaking with the press. Perhaps the extra CO2 put into the atmosphere by Man is keeping the planet FROM warming? How much do we REALLY understand about this? If carbon dioxide absorbes heat from solar flares, why not regular solar energy as well.
Actually, we are seeing a negative feedback loop in action. The main bone of contention between the AGW alarmists and the skeptics lies in the types of feedbacks, in how feedbacks work. The alarmists assume all positive feedback loops, each driving the temperature higher and triggering more warming. The skeptics say that many of these loops are negative, tamping down the effects of warming. Clouds, for instance, can reflect sunlight back into space, so warming oceans lead to more clouds which lead to cooling oceans.
This is but another example; more carbon dioxide may well mean that more heat is conducted back to the top of the atmosphere and dumped into space.
Don't expect to see this on the evening news, or in National Georgraphic.
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 5:58 AM
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