Questions tagged [climate-change]
Questions about changes of the climate system, including questions about global warming.
452
questions
13
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3answers
3k views
Why have “ozone-depleting substances” led to a third of all global warming and half of arctic sea ice loss?
According to the Phys.org article "Ozone-depleting substances caused half of late 20th-century Arctic warming, says study" (emphasis added):
A study published today in Nature Climate Change by ...
12
votes
2answers
912 views
How is global greenhouse gas emission calculated?
I am sure there are different methodologies to arrive at such a number. Can someone in layman terms describe some of the most widely used and trusted methods and what data are used? Sorry I am outside ...
2
votes
0answers
49 views
Median earth temperature development in 20th century
Are there graphs with the median temperature development in the 20th century and if not, is there readily accessible data that can be used to calculate it?
Median is statistically more stable, at the ...
36
votes
5answers
10k views
Is climate change a vicious circle?
My question refers to the current process of climate change. CO2 is rising, which leads to the greenhouse effect, which raises temperatures. This leads to more wildfires, which reduces number of trees,...
1
vote
2answers
229 views
Can anyone explain the REAL reason why CO$_2$ increases global temperatures (not the simplistic greenhouse analogy provided for public consumption)?
The greenhouse effect analogy of global warming is that atmospheric carbon dioxide CO$_2$ absorbs some of the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, and redirects a portion of that radiation back ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
What is the global warming potential (GWP) of any gas over a 1 day time frame?
Since in 100 years, the global warming potential (GWP) of methane is 28-36, what will be the GWP in 1 day time frame?
Can it be calculated that way?
1
vote
0answers
76 views
Climate change: Human vs Natural [duplicate]
The planet has been warming for thousands of years. Human activity has accelerated the warming, but by how much? At some point in the future, without human intervention, the climate will have ...
5
votes
4answers
325 views
Why are most effects of the predicted climate change negative?
Most of the commonly mentioned effects of the ongoing and predicted climate change are negative: more extreme weather effects, more destructive weather, more diseases, rapid extinctions, etc.
Why is ...
0
votes
1answer
164 views
The Medieval Climatic Anomaly
Trying to understand this question, posted to me by a lecturer at University:
"The Medieval Climatic Anomaly was distinctive in terms of the
prevailing climates and forcing mechanisms operating ...
10
votes
2answers
187 views
Does clearing snow contribute to climate change?
I've been reflecting on climate change and pondering how much of it is truly man-made. Anyone who's shoveled a walkway know that the snow melts faster beside the walkway than it does in the middle of ...
2
votes
5answers
312 views
If planting trees is ineffective to tackle climate change, why do people plant them?
I've read answers that outline how if we afforested large (continental-scale) masses of land, it would do little in the way of tackling climate change. While it would sequester $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ ...
0
votes
1answer
96 views
Can aerostats be used for fine-grained control of the weather
Most of the discussed geoengineering ideas aim to change the average temperature of the earth instead of trying to control local weather.
Aerostats can be used to change the local temperature in ...
0
votes
0answers
53 views
Time for water vapor to generate more greenhouse effect than latent heat?
I have an argument with a climate change denier.
He says the raise of water vapor in atmosphere causes a "much larger" cooling effet by taking vaporisation heat from the ground than the heat ...
27
votes
11answers
10k views
Global warming - why doesn´t mankind collect heat (thermal energy) and turn it into electricity or send it to space?
Why doesnt mankind "collect" thermal energy (there has to be some way: thermal couplings, detour over chemical energy, whatever) and after it has been concentrated at one point, turn it to electrical ...
1
vote
2answers
117 views
Could we control the weather with a disk in space?
There is recorded evidence from solar eclipses that the moon's shadow has a detectable weather effect.
If we placed a disk in space we could project a cold spot onto the planet and control it's ...
3
votes
4answers
204 views
Could burning all fossil fuels (available on earth) render the atmosphere unbreathable?
What if humanity burns all fossil fuels it can find? Putting the negative effects of climate change aside, would the enormous amount of $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ in the atmosphere eventually make it ...
2
votes
2answers
173 views
Could pumping ocean water into desert areas help reduce sea level rise?
I have been reading the discussion about pumping sea water into the desert for purposes of irrigation and changing the dry climate of that area, but what about to just purely offset the rising sea ...
0
votes
1answer
64 views
How do we apply CO2 sensitivity (3C ± 1.5C for every doubling) to current CO2 levels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_sensitivity#Estimating_climate_sensitivity
This indicates that current $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ levels have a temperature equilibrium of 2.2 $\small\mathsf{^oC}$ ...
6
votes
2answers
430 views
Could Australia's bushfires aerosols actually decrease global temperature?
Given the vastness and intensity of the bushfires that have been going on in Australia for weeks now, to the point they are generating their own weather and having an impact thousands kilometers away ...
1
vote
0answers
60 views
Vehicles Emissions [closed]
What is the suitable handheld device to measure the $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$, $\small\mathsf{CH_4}$ and $\small\mathsf{N_2O}$ emissions from the tailpipe of cars? and what the steps to convert the ...
3
votes
1answer
121 views
Do man-made machines take natural Nitrogen out of the atmosphere and in turn cause global warming?
I read in Wikipedia that, "Natural Nitrogen, Dinitrogen forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere. Dinitrogen is the most abundant uncombined element in the atmosphere."
Do man-made machines destroy the ...
3
votes
2answers
258 views
How can we accurately quantify the degree of scientific certainty that global heating is caused by humans?
How can we accurately quantify the degree of scientific certainty that global heating is caused by humans?
It seem virtually certain that the huge 100 ppm spike in $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ since 1950 ...
2
votes
5answers
164 views
Why is smoke considered a factor of global cooling when analyzing nuclear winter scenarios, but arent when analyzing global warming scenarios?
In many articles on the internet (I'll cite a couple for the sake of the question), smoke from the fires (composed mainly of $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ and CO) following a nuclear war would cool the ...
1
vote
1answer
125 views
Could we sequester co2 by dumping forests in deep oceans?
We know that trees are the most efficient "tool" we have to get CO2 out of the air, but the problem is that most of their fixated CO2 will naturally reenter the carbon cycle through decomposition.
...
1
vote
3answers
172 views
Does extrapolating current CO2 trends indicate 7632 PPM CO2 and 14C temperature anomaly within 200 years?
Does extrapolating current CO2 trends indicate 7632 PPM CO2 and 14C temperature anomaly within 200 years?
It looks like simply extrapolating the current trends of increasing atmospheric CO2 would ...
1
vote
0answers
36 views
What are the ranges of CO2 levels for inner cities and should CO2 be added to the air quality index?
I have a indoor $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ monitor and putting it on my balcony it indicates values of 1400-2200 ppm for different days ? Is this even possible and what are the ranges of $\small\mathsf{...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
In the 800 kyr $\ce{CO_2}$ record, how detectable would a short-term peak be?
It is stated in https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/co2/ice_core_co2.html that the temporal uncertainty for the glacier $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ records is less than $\small\mathsf{5~\%}$ at any given ...
1
vote
1answer
186 views
By what objectively correct process could we determine the truth about the actual severity of anthropogenic climate change?
I began to do the best that I could to boil the key facts down to the most basic essence of proving significant anthropogenic climate change:
(1) It is a verified fact that since 1959 $\small\...
39
votes
7answers
12k views
CO₂ level is high enough that it reduces cognitive ability. Isn't that a reason to worry?
I think the level of carbon dioxide in the air is high enough to reduce the intelligence of humans. This has nothing to do with climate change.
Except that both mean we should reduce CO₂.
I never ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Why are CO2 sensors so expensive when CO sensors aren't?
Please excuse me if Earth Science is not the correct place to ask this question.
I read a New York Times article about increasing $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ levels in the atmosphere: "Carbon in Atmosphere ...
1
vote
0answers
135 views
Equatorial Bulge and its implications on the climate
How much of the variance in the climate is due to the equatorial bulge and how much sun radiation do we lose due to the equatorial bulge?
I am interested in the variance both through time and ...
1
vote
1answer
135 views
How likely is Earth to naturally reverse climate change in the next 2 decades?
A new decade question: given that the “mini ice ages” were triggered by volcanic activity, how likely is it that we will experience similar levels of volcanic activity over the next 20 years?
In ...
1
vote
0answers
71 views
Climate Change - finding solutions [closed]
My questions are: is there a significant, joint, worldwide, inter-disciplinary, scientific effort to study (brainstorm) possible solutions to climate-change?
If it does exist, in whatever form, does ...
2
votes
2answers
65 views
How much pollution would it take to stop global warming?
The global cooling hypothesis of the 1970s included the theory that aerosols lead to global dimming. That is, that pollutants reduces the amount that the Sun warms the Earth, causing the Earth's ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
Where oil is used for [closed]
I am trying to study climate change and lately, I am realizing that oil companies were/are drilling for oils at Alaska, Arctic, Antarctica.
Where oil (which oil company drills) is used maximum for?
I ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
download NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections for single lat lon
I have a lat lon - 23.14, 83.14 and I need to download the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP) data from the below website only for this lat lon.
https://dataserver....
2
votes
2answers
100 views
How do we allocate partial CO2 doublings for Empirical Climate Sensitivity?
How do we allocate partial CO2 doublings for Empirical Climate Sensitivity? I applied partial doublings on a linear basis, is this correct?
Climate Threat to the Planet:Implications for Energy Policy ...
1
vote
4answers
174 views
In a zero carbon future but with increasing energy requirements would Earths oceans continue heating?
We’ve completely obliterated our reliance on carbon based fuels. All our energy comes from renewal resources or even fusion. Our energy requirements continue to rise. Taking this to a deliberately ...
1
vote
0answers
120 views
About climate sensitivity of carbon dioxide: today compared with PETM
Due to IPCC the climate sensitivity of CO₂ very likely is 3.0 ± 1.5 ℃ for each doubling of the concentration of atmospheric CO₂.
Counting on earlier global warming using the Arrhenius formula [ΔT=λ·...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
High albedo vs low albedo
Albedo is a measure of the amount of light reflected back by an object that is incident on it.
So, high albedo means that a greater portion of light falling on something is reflected back. This also ...
15
votes
2answers
4k views
Why was there a negative temperature anomaly between 1950 to 1980?
If I understand the information from this link correctly,
Instrumental temperature record
between 1950 to 1980 there were negative temperature anomalies in the years of those decades.
(1950–1959 ...
3
votes
2answers
208 views
Are 60C heat waves predicted by 5C of global heating? (The worst consequence of global heating)
It seems to be the case that 1C of global heating caused the whole global temperature bell curve to shift two standard deviations to the right. (see below)
To anyone knowing much about statistics and ...
9
votes
1answer
470 views
Tipping point theory, historical examples
This article gives a wonderful overview of tipping point theory, where a large system can be brought into a different state by a small perturbation.
Searching online I have found mostly articles on ...
2
votes
2answers
186 views
On what basics, can scientists predict the effects of climate change?
I don't know much about the topic of climate change to be honest. However, I've been attending a number of talks recently on the topic. As someone who studies mathematical models and uncertainty ...
1
vote
2answers
168 views
Why is it good scientific practice to 'build' a 'control Earth' from models, and where else do we 'build' controls? [closed]
Usually, when data is collected in an experiment, scientists have a control. Experiments are seen as flawed without controls. I am just curious as to where else scientists have 'built' controls using ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views
Trends in atmospheric CO2
I plotted the atmospheric CO2-concentrations to see trends and wondered especially about the phase around 1600 in the plot which I find very interesting. Etienne Godin already told me some facts in ...
11
votes
2answers
8k views
CO2 emissions per calorie (food)
I have seen several lists with CO2 emissions by weight for producing several different food products. I think this is an interesting consideration, and possible argument for vegetarianism/veganism.
I ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Reference units for CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and meaning of a slight downward tendancy during the 1600
I discovered here a set of yearly historical atmospherical CO2-concentrations from year 0 - 2014. Since they haven't mentioned which measure they used, I'm not sure whether it is right to talk about ...
4
votes
0answers
89 views
Climate Change in the North
Why has it been so warm in Moscow, Russia the past few winters where the temperatures even overnight have been above freezing when normally it gets brutally cold?
9
votes
2answers
198 views
What caused peak CO2 to rise, starting about 400,000 years ago?
This question assumes the accuracy of this (and similar) charts.
Source of image.
From the image, CO2 peaked at about 260, perhaps 265 ppm during the interglacial periods between 800,000 years ago ...
