Frozen CO2/Methane---does it take away all hope of stopping greenhouse

Discussion in 'Earth Science' started by LorencOfAlbania, Dec 18, 2005.

  1. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    I agree with high atmosphere cooling while the low is heating is a "smoking gun," but I am not sure this is true*, because I think that as more CO2 is added to atmosphere, the upper atmosphere will absorb more solar radiation than it does now. Unlike the dominate IR absorption of H2O, which is confided to the lower atmosphere (Only ice crystals in the high atmosphere, few free H2O molecules) CO2 does not "freeze out" as an ice. None-the-less, I do not see how anyone could not be concerned with man adding to "global warming," and fossil fuels surely do, but man may be only a minor part of nature's normal variations.

    I certainly agree also that it is very complex and just mention a couple of factors you did not on the CO2 vs CH4 contibutions. CO2 is a polar molecule that has very high solubability in H2O compared to non-polar CH4. The rate at which it is being absorbed by the sea is hard to know accurately. - In part because breaking waves greatly increase the ocean - atmosphere surface. All those tiny bubbles dispersed in the water may have more surface than that of the calm sea and the pressure inside the very tiny ones may be a few atmospheres to drive the CO2 more rapidly into solution. - yes it is very complex.
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    * Earth will always, in equlibrium, re-radiate what it absorbes (actually slightly more due to radioactive decay).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 12, 2006
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  3. W.Davidson Registered Member

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    I'd say CO2 is weakly soluble in water. Carbonic acid is the main constituent of naturally occurring acid raid. Its solubility in seawater depends on two factors - the amount of CO2 already dissolved, and the temperature of the water. Colder water absorbs more than warmer water. In fact, the tropical oceans are actually net emitters of CO2 to the air.

    This fact has caused some concern. As the oceans warm, they will become less avid sinks for CO2, and a point might be reached when they actually become a source rather than a sink for the gas. This is an example of 'positive feedback'.
     
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  5. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    Compared to what gas? - I am under the impression that CO2 has the highest solubability in water of all gases, but not a chemist and too lazy to check. -can you support your statement?
    Again, I my impression differs. - I thought “acid rain” was due to the oxidized sulfur, sulfurous acid, not sulfuric acid, I think, but again not much of a chemist.
    Well, finally I can agree. Yes, in general, and very easily understood with temperature as the average KE of atoms, it is true that hot water can hold less of almost if not all gases dissolved in it compared to cold water.
    Too bad, agreement period timed out.

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    The oceans as a source of CO2 is very unlikely, at least for temperatures where life on Earth is possible. (I will not worry about the higher ones where what you say is probably true.) At the current or near current ocean temperatures, the transport of atmospheric CO2 into the oceans is not able to bring them anywhere near saturation at atmospheric pressure. The biologic activity of sea life “building bodies” usually green ones, (sort of like trees storing Carbon on land) is limited (or could be, when some other critical elements are not doing the limiting) in part by the lack of CO2 in the oceans and keep even the warmest tropical ocean far from saturation. For the ocean to become a net source of CO2, instead of the current great sink, you must get it up to the saturation level. (Before Nature invented photo synthesis, the atmospheric CO2 concentration was at least 1000 times higher. I do not know the numbers for the CO2 in ocean back then but bet it was at least 10 times higher than current.)
     
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  7. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

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    CO2 cycles in and out of the ocean, depending on temperature etc. Google for "ocean carbon cycle" or some such combination.
    The acid rain we have all been worried about was indeed the sulphuric acid, but as noted, you get natural acid rain. . Its just that us humans really like to improve upon nature....

    Here is an explanation for stratospheric cooling as the earth warms up:
    http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/20c.html
     

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