Some global warming stuff

[apothecary]

Was reading an article on slashdot just now and came across this excellent comment explaining the science behind global temperature analysis and stuff.

Lots of very cool links.

Check it out.

http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...mp;cid=16961496

[teonanacatl]

Yeah and the rise in CO2 follows similar trend, infact CO2 has risen from 320ppm to 375ppm in the last 40 years. One of my lecturers studies the CO2 emmisions from plants in the rainforest at cape tribulation. He found that they produce a net positive production of CO2 in the dry years, but break even during wet years. What does this mean? CO2 emissions arnt cut, temp rises, earth becomes drier, rainforests pump out net CO2 instead of converting CO2 to net increase in O2, causes CO2 level to increase, causes more warming, causes drier climate, causes trees to produce more CO2 etc positive feedback cycle.

The way the greenhouse effect works is the earth radiates long wave radiation, infrared radiation, out towards space. H2O and CO2 in the atmosphere absorb the radiation at certian wavelengths, this causes them to vibrate which increases the temp. Methane absorbs in a different area to CO2 and H2O, therefore absorbing more of the radiation increasing temp. Having more CO2 just means more is absorbed etc.