A Previously Underappreciated Impact On Global Warming Caused By The Geometrical And Physical Properties Of Desert Sand

• Main Authors: Y. F. Yang, B. T. Wang, J. J. Fan, J. Yin
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2011
• Subjects: global warming; desert sand; extended surface; heat exchange; thermodynamics; Lorius; Persson; EPICA; ice core
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1082094; https://zenodo.org/record/1082094

The previous researches focused on the influence of anthropogenic greenhouse gases exerting global warming, but not consider whether desert sand may warm the planet, this could be improved by accounting for sand's physical and geometric properties. Here we show, sand particles (because of their geometry) at the desert surface form an extended surface of up to 1 + π/4 times the planar area of the desert that can contact sunlight, and at shallow depths of the desert form another extended surface of at least 1 + π times the planar area that can contact air. Based on this feature, an enhanced heat exchange system between sunlight, desert sand, and air in the spaces between sand particles could be built up automatically, which can increase capture of solar energy, leading to rapid heating of the sand particles, and then the heating of sand particles will dramatically heat the air between sand particles. The thermodynamics of deserts may thus have contributed to global warming, especially significant to future global warming if the current desertification continues to expand. : {"references": ["Editorial, Rising to the climate challenge, Nature 449: 755, 2007.", "G. C. Hegerl, et al., Understanding and Attributing Climate Change. In:\nClimate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of\nWorking Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the\nIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University\nPress, Cambridge, 2007.", "F. Lambert, et al., Dust-climate couplings over the past 800,000 years\nfrom the EPICA Dome C ice core, Nature 452: 616-619, 2008.", "P. Foukal, C. Frohlich, H. Spruit, T. M. L. Wigley, Variations in solar\nluminosity and their effect on the Earth's climate, Nature 443: 161-166,\n2006.", "M. Manzoor, Heat flow through extended surface heat exchangers.\nSpringer-Verlag, New York, 1984", "S. Y. Mesnyankin, A. G. Vikulov, D. G. Vikulov, Solid-solid thermal\ncontact problems: current understanding, Phys. Usp. 52: 891-914, 2009.", "N. A. Leontovich, Maximum efficiency of direct utilization of radiation,\nSov. Phys. Usp. 18: 963-964, 1975.", "A. I. Volokitin and B. N. J. Persson, Radiative heat transfer and\nnoncontact friction between nanostructures, Phys. Usp. 50: 879-906,\n2007.", "C. Bousbaa, et al., Effects of duration of sand blasting on the properties of\nwindow glass, European Journal of Glass Science and Technology Part A.\n39(1): 24-26, 1998.\n[10] P. A. Tiple and G. Mosca, Physics for Scientists and Engineers. W H\nFreeman & Company, New York, 2007\n[11] E. Claussen, V. A. Cochran, D. P. Davis, Climate Change: Science,\nStrategies, & Solutions. University of Michigan, Michigan, 2001.\n[12] E. Exequel, Global Desert Outlook. United Nations Environment\nProgramme, New York, 2006.\n[13] United Nations, Major groups on children and youth. United Nations\nCommission on Sustainable Development, New York, 2007.\n[14] P. R. Goode, et al., Earthshine Observations of the Earth-s Reflectance,\nGeophysical Research Letters 28 (9): 1671-1674, 2001.\n[15] C. Ehret, The Civilizations of Africa. University Press of Virginia,\nVirginia, 2002.\n[16] J. Jouzel, C. Lorius, J. R. Petit, Vostok ice core: a continuous isotope\ntemperature record over the last climatic cycle (160,000 years), Nature\n329: 403-408, 1987.\n[17] B. J. Soden and I. M. Held, An Assessment of Climate Feedbacks in\nCoupled Ocean-Atmosphere Models, J. Climate 19 (14): 3354-3360,\n2005."]}