07-29-2009, 11:12 AM
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#452 (permalink)
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,848
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kokonut
Water vapor is the one thing that acts as a blanket and helps cool the Earth everytime it rains. CO2 cannot do that. The specific heat for water is on orders of magnitude higher than CO2. CO2 does not have that property nor that capability. Rather, CO2 is a weak contributor and is manifested in various forms through the ocean waters, plants and the whole decomposition processes. But in no way can it compete with water vapors. And in no way can it compete with the power of the sun. But CO2 is essential to life, not a detractor.
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A very simple explaination about CO2 and effect on temperature:
" How does it do this?
Along with methane and water, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) absorbs energy at lower wavelengths than the other major atmospheric gases Nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen (O2).
When a molecule of Carbon dioxide is exposed to long wavelength energy, it absorbs this energy and its speed increases. This added speed is an above-normal energy state, meaning it is hotter than it would normally be. Eventually this molecule will lose, or radiate, this heat again and return to its normal state.
The energy it releases is the same as the energy it absorbed, and so it not only absorbs but also emits long wavelength energy. This energy is radiated in all directions; upwards into space, and downwards back towards the Earth.
What is the Problem?
For every extra molecule of CO2 in the atmosphere, additional heat is reflected down back towards the Earth. This means that some heat that would otherwise have been lost from the atmosphere is trapped. Given large enough quantities of CO2 in the atmosphere the amount of trapped heat will cause a rise in the surface temperature.
This change in surface temperature can have dramatic effects. Even a slight rise in temperature will result in increased evaporation from the ocean surfaces. Water is also a Greenhouse gas, and the Greenhouse effect of added CO2 in the atmosphere is compounded by the additional water wapour it causes."
Carbon Dioxide Properties: The Warming Effect
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