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2008-06-07 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

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Posted by gorb 2008-06-07 02:50|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Lots of different factors in play on global warming, not just human-generated CO2. Also not just solar variations.
Water vapor is a more effective greenhouse gas than CO2 - and its effect is compounded because the higher the temperature, the more the evaporation from the oceans, and the higher the atmospheric concentration and the greater the greenhouse effect, return to the start of the cycle.
The CO2 effect also has some compounding - the oceans are a huge repository of CO2, and as they warm they can hold less CO2 in solution, so more gets emitted into the atmosphere to accentuate the greenhouse effect. Return to the start of the cycle.
Methane is an even more effective greenhouse gas than water vapor, and huge quantities of it are trapped in clathrates (frozen compounds of methan and water found in the deep ocean sediments near the sea floor); as oceans warm these clathrates may thaw, releasing more methane into the atmosphere. Return to the start of the cycle.
These kinds of spiraling effects are behind a lot of the big panicky fears.
There are counter effects though. Plants are one - increased CO2 helps them grow, re-fixing that carbon out of the atmosphere. Natural gas production and combustion is another - rather than escaping into the atmosphere as potent methane it is converted into less effective CO2. I am certain there are dozens of others, mostly difficult to model mathematically individually, and at this point impossible to model in interaction with each other - especially without much understanding of initial and boundary conditions.
That said, it still makes good sense for many different reasons (climate uncertainty and resource efficiency being two) to moderate our CO2 generation.

Posted by Glenmore 2008-06-07 09:19|| 2008-06-07 09:19|| Front Page Top

#2 Oh, and Kyoto is a socialist wealth redistribution pact, disguised as a global warming treaty. Its effect would actually increase global CO2 emission, but redistribute it (along with the wealth).

Posted by Glenmore 2008-06-07 09:22|| 2008-06-07 09:22|| Front Page Top

#3 What warming?

http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/uah-global-temperature-dives-in-may/

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2008-06-07 09:58|| 2008-06-07 09:58|| Front Page Top

#4 And this qualifies for Joke of the Day. Do these useless assholes think they can hoodwink the whole world ? Uhhhhh....

Posted by Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-06-07 10:25|| 2008-06-07 10:25|| Front Page Top

#5 All of the people some of the time,
Some of the people all of the time,
But not ALL of the people ALL of the time.

It's the same as TV preachers, If you sound sincere, some will swallow whatever you're peddling hook, line, and sinker,
The rest can be shouted down.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2008-06-07 14:27|| 2008-06-07 14:27|| Front Page Top

#6 Still "...build some 1,400 nuclear power plants..."

We're going to need more power in the future in any case. Parts of this plan aren't necessarily about combating glo-ball vorming; they're just being sold that way in the current political environment.

Posted by Helmuth, Speaking for Thusoling9307 2008-06-07 16:44|| 2008-06-07 16:44|| Front Page Top

#7 Thought we had one of the coldest winters on record this past year? There are too many Chinese on one side of the planet. They are causing the planet to tilt towards the sun at the north pole and thus causing the ice to melt. Just joshing.

Posted by JohnQC 2008-06-07 17:53|| 2008-06-07 17:53|| Front Page Top

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