Greenhouse Gases
Climate is Changing and we will now try to understand more about these greenhouse gases. To recap the primary cause of Climate Change is the increase of these greenhouse gases that trap radiation from the Earth after the Earth is heated by the sun and then radiates some of that back to the earth.
To understand further let’s take a quick look at the composition of the atmosphere. We all know it is primarily Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%). However there is also a variable quantity of water vapor (0-to 4%) which is one of the greenhouse gases. Then there is Carbon Dioxide (0.036%), Methane (0.00017%), Nitrous Oxide (0.00003%) and a few others like Argon, Neon, Helium, which for our discussion are not acting.
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide are all to some degree variable.
Climate is Changing and we will now try to understand more about these greenhouse gases. To recap the primary cause of Climate Change is the increase of these greenhouse gases that trap radiation from the Earth after the Earth is heated by the sun and then radiates some of that back to the earth.
To understand further let’s take a quick look at the composition of the atmosphere. We all know it is primarily Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%). However there is also a variable quantity of water vapor (0-to 4%) which is one of the greenhouse gases. Then there is Carbon Dioxide (0.036%), Methane (0.00017%), Nitrous Oxide (0.00003%) and a few others like Argon, Neon, Helium, which for our discussion are not acting.
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide are all to some degree variable.
Water Vapor
Water Vapor is the most dominant greenhouse gas. Concentrations vary regionally from very little in very cold regions to as much as 80% in very wet and hot humid conditions. The average residence time of a water molecules in the atmosphere is only about nine days whereas CO2 can stay for perhaps centuries. Water vapor responds to and amplifies effects of the other greenhouse gases and concentrations fluctuate regionally, but human activity does not directly affect water vapor concentrations except at local scales, such as near irrigated fields.
However it is my thought that the effects of water vapor will increase as the climate average temperature increases and could therefore increase temperatures as other greenhouse gases also increase..
Water Vapor is the most dominant greenhouse gas. Concentrations vary regionally from very little in very cold regions to as much as 80% in very wet and hot humid conditions. The average residence time of a water molecules in the atmosphere is only about nine days whereas CO2 can stay for perhaps centuries. Water vapor responds to and amplifies effects of the other greenhouse gases and concentrations fluctuate regionally, but human activity does not directly affect water vapor concentrations except at local scales, such as near irrigated fields.
However it is my thought that the effects of water vapor will increase as the climate average temperature increases and could therefore increase temperatures as other greenhouse gases also increase..
The treatment and discussion of Carbon Dioxide is quite complex and therefore I have moved it to the next page.