Ever since ClimateGate hit the news, I have been wondering about the collection of temperature measurements and how that figures into Global Mean Temperature.
I imagine it's all done by ground based stations and at any moment in time, all the stations' temperature readings are averaged together giving a global mean temperature. That's probably a very simplistic view of the scenario. Here's a few problems that I see:
1) Adding more measurement stations means you are adding more points of data, and depending on where they were added (say warmer climates), it could skew the results. How do you calculate for this?
2) Heat islands. Ever stand in the middle of an asphalt parking lot and feel yourself baking? Ever stand just to the side of one and still feel the baking? What happens if buildings or parking lots or roads are built close to these stations? Is the data corrected for this change? How do you correct for this?
Showing posts with label Temperature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Temperature. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
How Do Greenhouse Gases Work?
I have no idea. I googled and googled, and the best I can come up with is this page on Greehouse Effect Gases.
Still, no data on why CO2 absorbs more heat than say Nitrogen, or Oxygen. What is the science behind Someone please tell me where I can find this data and experiment setup. There has to be solid science explaining this phenomenon since Greenhouse Gas is such a common phrase (over 14 million hits for a search of Greenhouse Gas on Google today).
The best thing I can find is that CO2 absorbs light in 3 frequencies... 2.7, 4.3 and 15 micrometers. This seem like it is very very small, so given a large range of frequencies of radiation, how does increasing the concentration of CO2 from 320 to 390 ppm cause any variance of temperature? First, 390 ppm is 0.039%. An increase from 0.032% to 0.039% is a difference of 0.007%. In that range of concentration of CO2, the temperature changed +0.4 degrees Celsius. That means according to the concentraion of CO2 changed, the estimated CO2 cause of change should be between 0.036 and 0.104 degrees Centigrade. The actual change in concentration of CO2 should have caused a 0.020 change in degrees Centigrade. The math isn't adding up.
CO2 must be a byproduct of an increase in temperature, as I stated here in CO2 and Temperature.
Still, no data on why CO2 absorbs more heat than say Nitrogen, or Oxygen. What is the science behind Someone please tell me where I can find this data and experiment setup. There has to be solid science explaining this phenomenon since Greenhouse Gas is such a common phrase (over 14 million hits for a search of Greenhouse Gas on Google today).
The best thing I can find is that CO2 absorbs light in 3 frequencies... 2.7, 4.3 and 15 micrometers. This seem like it is very very small, so given a large range of frequencies of radiation, how does increasing the concentration of CO2 from 320 to 390 ppm cause any variance of temperature? First, 390 ppm is 0.039%. An increase from 0.032% to 0.039% is a difference of 0.007%. In that range of concentration of CO2, the temperature changed +0.4 degrees Celsius. That means according to the concentraion of CO2 changed, the estimated CO2 cause of change should be between 0.036 and 0.104 degrees Centigrade. The actual change in concentration of CO2 should have caused a 0.020 change in degrees Centigrade. The math isn't adding up.
CO2 must be a byproduct of an increase in temperature, as I stated here in CO2 and Temperature.
Monday, August 23, 2010
CO2 and Temperature
When Climate Change Scientists are trying to show how abnormal our current change in CO2 and Temperature is, they show a chart that looks like this:
[image from Temperature Changes Precede CO2 Changes - by James M. Taylor - Environment & Climate News]
These scientists explain how increased carbon dioxide correlates to increased temperatures. Industrialization is dumping more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and we are warming at an alarming rate.
When I look at that chart, I see an increase in temperature, followed by an increase in carbon dioxide. That is not contested, and I believe correlation is not causation.
My question to you Climate Change Scientists and Believers is this. Why do CO2 levels rise after temperature rises? Look at this in a historical context, not in the past 150 years. Here's my theory, and shoot it full of holes: When temperatures rise, there is more available land mass and a more favorable environment for plants. More plants, more CO2.
Am I wrong, and why?
These scientists explain how increased carbon dioxide correlates to increased temperatures. Industrialization is dumping more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and we are warming at an alarming rate.
When I look at that chart, I see an increase in temperature, followed by an increase in carbon dioxide. That is not contested, and I believe correlation is not causation.
My question to you Climate Change Scientists and Believers is this. Why do CO2 levels rise after temperature rises? Look at this in a historical context, not in the past 150 years. Here's my theory, and shoot it full of holes: When temperatures rise, there is more available land mass and a more favorable environment for plants. More plants, more CO2.
Am I wrong, and why?
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