Global warming and CO2 hotspots?

[battery]

If CO2 produced by industry is causing global warming then wouldn't there be hotspots above major industrial sites where the CO2 is most concentrated?
And wherever in the world CO2 is washed out of the air by heavy rainfall, shouldn't there be CO2 coldspots too?
If CO2 warming is increasing average wind speeds then are the increases in wind speeds around CO2 hotspots greater than elsewhere?
I read on wikipedia that if the Earth warms up then more water vapour is produced and this in turn leads to more heat being trapped and more water vapour forming and so on.What stops this positive feedback cycle from getting out of control? Do clouds form when the air reaches a certain humidity level and do the clouds then reflect sunlight back into space?

 

[Andre]

If CO2 produced by industry is causing global warming then wouldn't there be hotspots above major industrial sites where the CO2 is most concentrated?
And wherever in the world CO2 is washed out of the air by heavy rainfall, shouldn't there be CO2 coldspots too? If CO2 warming is increasing average wind speeds then are the increases in wind speeds around CO2 hotspots greater than elsewhere?

Jos de Laat has done some research to local effects on industrial areas here:
http://www.knmi.nl/~laatdej/2006joc1292.pdf

I read on wikipedia that if the Earth warms up then more water vapour is produced and this in turn leads to more heat being trapped and more water vapour forming and so on.What stops this positive feedback cycle from getting out of control? Do clouds form when the air reaches a certain humidity level and do the clouds then reflect sunlight back into space?

In the old days, the physics of water vapor was quite different:

Priestley, C.H.B., 1966. The Limitation of Temperature by Evaporation in Hot Climates. Agricultural Meteorology, 3 (1966) 241-246.

From general considerations of energy balance it is argued that one might expect a rather sharply defined upper limit to which screen air temperature will rise above a well-watered underlying surface of sufficient extent. A study of world-wide climatic data supports this view and identifies the limiting temperature as about 92F (+/- 1F). Temperatures over wet terrain within a few degrees of this limit occur widely and frequently.

the logic of which is in the Clausius Clappeyron exponential relationship between temperature and evaporation for a constant relative humidity.

For ballpark figures, from http://www.usclivar.org/Organization/Salinity_WG/workshoppresentations/Evp-salinityLisanYu.pdf let's assume average annual evaporation of a meter per year. That's 2.74 liters (2740 g) per m2 per day or 114 g per hour is 0.032 gram per second. It takes 2500 joule to evaporate one gram of water, so for 0.032 gram that's 79 joule per second per square meter or 79 W/m2

Now to keep relative humidity constant when increasing the ambient temperature of 15 C to 16 C, suppose a dewpoint of about 9 degrees we see http://www.humirel.com/All_about_humidity-calculation2.htm a decrease of 67% to 63%. Obviously we also have to raise the dewpoint one degree to get back to 67% Now the absolute humidity calculated http://www.humirel.com/All_about_humidity-calculation4.htm goes from 9 gram/m3 at a dewpoint of 9 degrees to 9.6 gram/m3 at a dewpoint of 10 degrees, an increase of 7%. To sustain an increase of 7% more water vapor in the atmospere it seems logical that the rate of evaporation also has to increase by 7% as well, which in turn requires 7% more energy. Hence I'd need 7% of 79 W/m2 or 5.5 W/m2 extra to maintain constant relative humidity. However the additional energy associated with doubling CO2 is about 3.4-4.0 W/m2

So it appears that the exponential increase of energy required for evaporation exceeds the increase due the enhanced greenhouse effect, killing the positive feedback.

 

[quicknote]

I can provide some insights on the relationship between global warming, CO2 hotspots, and their potential impacts on wind speeds and cloud formation.

Firstly, it is true that CO2 emissions from industrial activities are one of the main contributors to global warming. However, it is not accurate to assume that there would be hotspots above major industrial sites where CO2 is most concentrated. CO2 is a well-mixed gas in the atmosphere, meaning that it is evenly distributed and does not form concentrated areas. Hotspots may occur due to other factors such as local weather patterns or topography, but not solely due to CO2 emissions.

Similarly, while heavy rainfall can wash out some CO2 from the atmosphere, it is not enough to create "coldspots." CO2 concentrations are still relatively high in the atmosphere even after rainfall, and it takes a significant amount of time for the Earth's natural processes to absorb and store this excess CO2.

Regarding wind speeds, there is currently no evidence to suggest that CO2 warming is directly increasing wind speeds. However, changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure due to global warming can indirectly impact wind patterns. These changes can also affect the formation and movement of clouds.

As for the positive feedback cycle of water vapor, it is a complex process that is still being studied by scientists. While it is true that warmer temperatures can lead to more water vapor in the atmosphere, other factors such as wind patterns and cloud formation can also affect the amount of water vapor present. Additionally, the Earth has natural processes that help regulate the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, such as precipitation and evaporation. However, it is important to note that continued high levels of CO2 emissions can disrupt this balance and potentially lead to more severe impacts of global warming.

In terms of cloud formation, they do form when the air reaches a certain humidity level. However, the formation of clouds is influenced by many factors, including temperature, pressure, and the presence of particles in the atmosphere. While clouds can reflect some sunlight back into space, they can also trap heat and contribute to the warming of the Earth's surface.

Overall, it is essential to understand that global warming is a complex phenomenon that involves many interconnected processes. While CO2 emissions play a significant role, they are not the only factor contributing to global warming. It is crucial for us to continue studying and monitoring these processes to better understand their impacts and develop effective strategies to mitigate and adapt to the effects of global