Thermodynamics and Global Warming
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The second law of thermodynamics tells us that heat flows from hot to cold.
The greenhouse effect has the Sun heating the Earth's surface; the Earth's surface emitting that energy in the form of black-body radiation; CO2 (and other GHGs) absorbing and then re-emitting energy; with some of that energy getting back to the surface re-heating it.
What is not said:
1- CO2 is only sensitive to 8% of what the Earth emits. 92% of what the Earth emits is invisible to CO2
2- The hot-to-cold thing. The Earth should only radiate its energy when it is warmer than the atmosphere. It spends much of the day just absorbing.
3- When the time comes the earth starts emitting 100% of the black-body wavelengths
4- Only 410 ppm of 4% can be said to re-emitted back towards the surface, which is losing 100%
5- This should only occur for several hours until equilibrium is reached
Is that really enough to cause warming?
True, I didn't account for other GHGs, such as water vapor. But I already acknowledge that cloud cover makes for blanket-like coverage. It also prevents the ground from the full brunt of the Sun.
The second law of thermodynamics tells us that heat flows from hot to cold.
The greenhouse effect has the Sun heating the Earth's surface; the Earth's surface emitting that energy in the form of black-body radiation; CO2 (and other GHGs) absorbing and then re-emitting energy; with some of that energy getting back to the surface re-heating it.
What is not said:
1- CO2 is only sensitive to 8% of what the Earth emits. 92% of what the Earth emits is invisible to CO2
2- The hot-to-cold thing. The Earth should only radiate its energy when it is warmer than the atmosphere. It spends much of the day just absorbing.
3- When the time comes the earth starts emitting 100% of the black-body wavelengths
4- Only 410 ppm of 4% can be said to re-emitted back towards the surface, which is losing 100%
5- This should only occur for several hours until equilibrium is reached
Is that really enough to cause warming?
True, I didn't account for other GHGs, such as water vapor. But I already acknowledge that cloud cover makes for blanket-like coverage. It also prevents the ground from the full brunt of the Sun.
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