Logical steps of climate change

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between increasing CO2 levels and rising global temperatures, exploring the scientific mechanisms that connect these phenomena. Participants seek mathematical and theoretical explanations, peer-reviewed references, and clarification on the greenhouse effect and radiative forcing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about the specific equations or theories that link CO2 increases to global temperature rises, emphasizing the need for clear explanations and references.
  • Others mention the concept of radiative forcing and the greenhouse effect as key components in understanding the warming caused by CO2.
  • One participant suggests that the experiment demonstrating CO2's infrared absorption may relate to classical gas theory, prompting further questions about the underlying physics.
  • There is a discussion about the applicability of gas laws, with some participants debating whether Boyle's law or Gay-Lussac's law is relevant to the context of CO2 and temperature changes.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the direct correlation between CO2 and temperature, suggesting alternative viewpoints such as feedback loops that might imply temperature changes could influence CO2 levels.
  • Several participants provide links to peer-reviewed papers and resources that could help clarify the scientific basis for the claims being discussed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus, as there are multiple competing views regarding the relationship between CO2 and temperature, and the applicability of various scientific laws and theories. Some express skepticism about the direct causation implied by others.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of peer-reviewed references for discussing climate science, indicating that the conversation is constrained by the need for credible sources. There are also unresolved questions about the specific mechanisms and mathematical relationships involved in the greenhouse effect.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in climate science, particularly those seeking to understand the scientific basis for the relationship between greenhouse gases and global warming, as well as the ongoing debates surrounding these topics.

random39a
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There are two ideas:

(1) C02 is increasing.

(2) The global temperature is increasingI am looking for the specific mechanism (most likely an equation / theories of physics) which climate scientists use to connect (1) and (2) together, and infer that (1) causes (2).

I am looking for the math / science that explains how a rise in C02 can cause a rise in global temperature.

I wonder if you might be able to clearly explain this to me in quite basic terms, and direct me to a source that explains it in greater depth?

Thanks.
 
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random39a said:
There are two ideas:

(1) C02 is increasing.

(2) The global temperature is increasingI am looking for the specific mechanism (most likely an equation / theories of physics) which climate scientists use to connect (1) and (2) together, and infer that (1) causes (2).

I am looking for the math / science that explains how a rise in C02 can cause a rise in global temperature.

I wonder if you might be able to clearly explain this to me in quite basic terms, and direct me to a source that explains it in greater depth?

Thanks.
What have you found from your research so far? From the PF rules on Global Warming discussions:
Greg Bernhardt said:
CC/GW threads in this forum are intended for discussion of the scientific content of well-researched models of weather, climatology, and global warming that have been published in peer-reviewed journals and well-established textbooks.
So we need some peer-reviewed references to be able to discuss this. If you are not able to link to any, perhaps someone else can help you out with links... :smile:
 
berkeman said:
What have you found from your research so far? From the PF rules on Global Warming discussions:

So we need some peer-reviewed references to be able to discuss this. If you are not able to link to any, perhaps someone else can help you out with links... :smile:
Hi there :)

Thanks for the reply.

I have starting reading about radiative forcing and the greenhouse effect, and am trying to put this into context (a logical chain of cause - effect). If you could direct me to the mainstream (popular) peer-reviewed references, that would be great!

If you could also direct me to the popular (peer reviewed) graphs / models which show CO2 in relation to Global Temp., even better!

Thanks!
 
CO2 and also other gases absorb infra red radiation emitted by the Earth, hence more of these gases present in the atmosphere causes it to become warmer.
Without any of these gases the Earth would be a drastically colder place, but too much is bad as well.
That CO2 has this property of absorbing IR was established before anyone made a connection with global climate change.
I don't know what the first experimental proof was that CO2 absorbs infrared, but it's easy to demonstrate.
Here's a video using simple equipment that makes the point.
 
Last edited:
rootone said:
CO2 and also other gases absorb infra red radiation emitted by the Earth, hence more of these gases present in the atmosphere causes it to become warmer.
Without any of these gases the Earth would be a drastically colder place, but too much is bad as well.
That CO2 has this property of absorbing IR was established before anyone made a connection with global climate change.
I don't know what the first experimental proof was that CO2 absorbs infrared, but it's easy to demonstrate.
Here's a video using simple equipment that makes the point.


This is great. Thanks.

Does this experiment relate to a math / physics equation (fundamental classical gas theory)?
 
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/96JD03436/epdf
Radiative forcing and climate response
This was one of the first papers that helped shape the current climate change model.
Other papers can be found in http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/jgr/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2169-8996/ (Journal of Geophysical Research--Atmospheres)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2013GL058456/epdf
Radiative forcing at high concentrations of well-mixed greenhouse gases
This is open-access and one of a few hundred papers in Geophysical Research Letters http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-8007/
 
random39a said:
This is great. Thanks.

Does this experiment relate to a math / physics equation (fundamental classical gas theory)?
Aren't you just demonstrating boyles law here? Pressure in the bottle increases due to the addition of CO2 hence the temperature rises
 
davefarrell60 said:
Aren't you just demonstrating boyles law here? Pressure in the bottle increases due to the addition of CO2 hence the temperature rises

No, Boyle's law just has to do with the pressure vs volume, and assumes that the temperature is constant. The gas law involving pressure and temperature is Gay-Lussac's law, which states that the ratio of the pressure over the temperature is the same before and after heating/cooling a gas.

In any case, those gas laws are not valid when the number of gas molecules is changing, such as right after the tablets are dropped into the water and begin to fizz. You would have to look at the system once the number of gas molecules reaches a steady state or use another gas law (or combination of laws) which is more complicated.
 
  • #10
random39a said:
There are two ideas:

(1) C02 is increasing.

(2) The global temperature is increasingI am looking for the specific mechanism (most likely an equation / theories of physics) which climate scientists use to connect (1) and (2) together, and infer that (1) causes (2).

I am looking for the math / science that explains how a rise in C02 can cause a rise in global temperature.

I wonder if you might be able to clearly explain this to me in quite basic terms, and direct me to a source that explains it in greater depth?

Thanks.
Interesting point of view. What about (2) causes (1)? There is no correlation between these two as far as some of these links states, but it can seriously make you wonder if you read about climate feedback loop..
 
  • #11
Solomei said:
Interesting point of view. What about (2) causes (1)? There is no correlation between these two as far as some of these links states, but it can seriously make you wonder if you read about climate feedback loop..

Oh? I was under the impression that increased temperatures decreased the amount of CO2 diffused in seawater, leading to a rise in atmospheric CO2.
 
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  • #12
@Solomei - do you have a citation to back up those assertions? It would help us a lot. And the search you want to make to answer your two questions is 'Greenhouse effect' - use wikipedia or NASA websites, anyplace else you may get political answers not scientific ones.

Methane and CO2 and some others are so-called greenhouse gases.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect Please read the whole article.
 
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  • #13
Here are two sites that provide links to relevant scientific research.

http://shadow.eas.gatech.edu/~kcobb/warming_papers/index.html

The History Of Global Warming
 
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