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Despite the apparent bias of many climate researchers, they do have one thing right; carbon levels have risen notably over the twentieth century from about 300 ppm to 375 ppm. While still far from the estimated levels of around 3,000 ppm during the time of the dinosaurs (appr. 150 MYA), the rising levels do mark a legitimate trend. However, there is increasing evidence that the rising carbon, contrary to alarmist reports is actually having remarkably little effect on global temperatures.
A new study authored by Susan Solomon, lead author of the study and a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo. could explain why atmospheric carbon is not contributing to warming significantly. According to the study, as carbon levels have risen, the cold air at high altitudes over the tropics has actually grown colder. The lower temperatures at this “coldest point” have caused global water vapor levels to drop, even as carbon levels rise.
Water vapor helps trap heat, and is a far the strongest of the major greenhouse gases, contributing 36–72 percent of the greenhouse effect. However more atmospheric carbon has actually decreased water vapor levels. Thus rather than a “doomsday” cycle of runaway warming, Mother Earth appears surprisingly tolerant of carbon, decreasing atmospheric levels of water vapor — a more effective greenhouse gas — to compensate.
Describes Professor Solomon, “There is slow warming that has taken place over the last 100 years. But from one decade to another, there can be fluctuations in the warming trend.”
The study was published in the prestigious journal Science.
Self-regulating…until all the methane gets released from the permafrost…Then runaway warming until…
…the superstorm.
(Self-regulating.)
Another article with information on the topic-
We need to focus on reducing and eliminating pollution of all kinds. Our decisions concerning energy production should be based on pollution reduction, which ever time will reduce the carbon we emit. Reducing carbon emissions for any other reason isn’t justifiable.
Props to Uncle Dave for posting this! Penguin for everyone!
very funny picture!
So mother nature now decreases water vapor in the atmosphere to compensate for carbon increases. Thank goodness we don’t have a global water vapor problem.
I’m not a Climate Change “Alarmist”, but neither am I a Climate Change “Denialist”. I’m more of a Climate Change “WTF-ist”. I want to know what really is happening, without it being “dumbed down” to try to motivate people in a particular direction. We’ve already seen how that can backfire, and badly.
So, I like it when Scientists do Science like this – rather than entrench themselves in dogmatic positions either way. The climate (like Science in general) should NEVER be a political football. It only looks that way in the USA and other countries, where scientists have to go to a partisan Congress for their funding.
The only thing we need fear is “change”, cause we all know change is bad. From what I have read here over the past few months you would think it we were on the verge of the apocalypse. I think the media, movies, blogs, news, etc. all need eyeballs to live, so lets sell panic to everyone. Cripes, I remember when Lake Erie was dead and was never going to recover. Things have improved, you can fish and swim in the lake again. It still needs some work, but heck the trend line is improvement. We have killed off all the factories in the USA that were big polluters and moved them to China, so the problem is out of sight now. Course we now have 20% unemployment (underemployment). I think the guy above is correct. We now begin to balance the economic impact of our choices, that leads to less waste, better life all around. could be worse. Could be zombies.
Man made global warming = Sham
#7, gq,
Six intelligent points then yours. Hhhmmm, what does that say about you, well besides it sux to be you.
The vast majority of Scientists who study this in their field believe man is having an adverse effect on the planet’s climate. Until this fact changes I will believe it too.
Before anyone throws the “they used to believe the world was flat too” tired argument against me, please do take a second and remember that was pre-modern science.
From the article,
According to the study, as carbon levels have risen, the cold air at high altitudes over the tropics has actually grown colder. The lower temperatures at this “coldest point” have caused global water vapor levels to drop, even as carbon levels rise.
As I understand, one explanation (I read a while back) is that this is expected. CO2, acting as a greenhouse gas in the lower atmosphere, blocks the emission of long wave radiation from reaching the upper atmosphere. The equivalent of holding a thermometer above a pot of boiling water with and without the lid on.
Could it be we can’t sustain a population approaching 7 billion with our current technology? The key is cheap energy. Fusion is taking forever, and probably a hundred years from large scale deployment. The proposed green solutions are play toys. The only question is do we want to build fission plants. Our current reactors are getting old, and close to exceeding their lifespan. Hell it would take a decade or more to get a new plant online if a new program was started now.
#2 – Reducing pollution is a noble goal everyone can support. However, the methods must be realistic and not involve reducing lifestyle of Americans.
Anyone who would seriously try force people to reduce the size of their cars & houses, eat less meat, live closer together etc. needs to be hit in the face with an electrified hammer. What the idiot ecotards are proposing is a solution that’s worse than the problem.
I am hoping for a nuclear winter to reverse the trends.
#11, RT
“population approaching 7 billion, … key is cheap energy”
What about the better key of reducing population to a sustainable level? Read “Collapse” by Jared Diamond
Goodness, I hope this story is true!
But, from what I remember from college, higher life forms have died-off several times in the earth’s history.
This time, this would be us and it will be our own damn fault. (Well, more technically, the anti-science, blindly pro-business conservatives’ fault.)
#11, RT,
All due respect,
Fusion is taking forever,
you sound like my wife.
By the way, I don’t want any of you knee-jerk anti-science global warming deniers calling me a hypocrite for giving this story credibility.
The reason I believe in global warming is because I get my science from real scientists rather than Sarah Palin, Glen Beck or Russian hackers, like you guys do.
This seems like a real study — so I take it seriously. But I don’t forget that it’s goes against a huge body of real science.
#17, Greg, just look at what you wrote. There’s not a shred of truth in it.
I became skeptical over time because of the gall of your so called “real scientists” consensus that the debate was over. REAL science doesn’t rely on consensus. Time and time again it has been graphically clear that the debate is not over. This discovery is but one of many examples.
Do you believe in ‘global warming’ or do you believe in ‘anthropogenic global warming’? They are quite different things to ‘believe’ in. While REAL scientists test theories, the IPCC and some agw scientists have been caught editing their findings… for instance, leaving out all the Himalayan glaciers that are advancing, some dramatically, in their Himalayan glaciers assessment. That’s called ‘cooking the books’.
I’ve never seen anyone here refer to Sarah Palin or Glen Beck for a reliable source of science. If you don’t want to look like a fool, stop with the ignorant ridicule of those who are actually listening to all scientists and trying to sort out what is true and what is not.
#18,
Polar bears are in the Arctic, penguins in the Antarctic.
Haven’t you heard of take out?
Didn’t anyone see “Waterworld”?
i.e. Let’s all move to Hawaii!!!!
Really, over time it won’t matter what we do to the planet.
It will be like we never existed.
Except for the stargate they will find outside of the pyramid.
#18: Haven’t you heard of Domino’s Penquins? Delivery in 30 hours or less or your order’s free.
The scientific paper referenced doesn’t claim that what the ignorant journalists who write such a stupid “explanations” claim. The paper is called
“Contributions of Stratospheric Water Vapor to Decadal Changes in the Rate of Global Warming”
and according to the authors:
“Stratospheric water vapor concentration decrease acted to slow the rate of increase in global surface temperature over 2000 to 2009 by about 25% compared to that which would have occurred due only to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.”
It doesn’t mean there’s no global warming, only gives an idea why the warming increase hasn’t he same slope when observed short-term.
Note that nothing can be concluded about global warming in short time periods, and short is here even a decade or fifteen years. It would be just like looking at the movements of your favorite stock during a day and concluding what the price will be in a year. For year movements you need bigger time spans. Ditto to see the global warming.
CO2 induced global warming exists and the humanity is really in danger if it fails to act.
#23 – In your last two paragraphs you say something completely reasonable then immediately contradict yourself with religion.
Before faith kicked in ou were right. We need to sit back, collect data for a couple hundred years than analyze it and see if there’s a problem.
The sun is slowly getting hotter, so it’s really Solar System Warming. Since photographic records began of Mars, Venus and Jupiter, they have all began experiencing weather patterns that follow patterns of systemic solar system warming. This can’t all be due to cow farts in Australia.
Ahhh, nothing like the personification of the Earth. There is nothing matriarchal about a rock with salt water on it. What’s next, the rain gods absorb CO2 quite well?
The Earth’s ecosystem is incredibly complex and I do find it hard not to question the naivete of those that believe they can interpret and predict with certainty how the Earth’s ecosystem will react given the limited sets of data that are available.
I need to warn ALL of you..
EARTH self regulation, and recovery…
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH LIFE ON THIS PLANET..
WE are the FLEAS on the dogs back..
NO creature LIVING has much to do with the GIANT, turning over in bed and CRUSHING whats on it back, crawling around.
#20 & #22 But what do tip the delivery person?
When were carbon credits ever relevant? I think by now everyone sees them for what they have always been: modern indulgences used as a scam to make money.
gf said,
“The Earth’s ecosystem is incredibly complex and I do find it hard not to question the naivete of those that believe they can interpret and predict with certainty how the Earth’s ecosystem will react given the limited sets of data that are available.”
.
This is probably the most true, honest and accurate statement ever to come out of the Global Climate Warming/Cooling/Changing (GCWCC) debate.
Is that an iPad on the bears lap?