Laws of Physics Define the Insignificant Warming of Earth by CO2

This study provides temperature estimates about the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) in warming the Earth’s atmosphere using readily available information. It compares the grams of water vapor per kilogram (kg) of dry air with the number of grams of CO2 per kg of dry air. This comparison is over a yea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences
Main Authors: Lightfoot, H. Douglas, Ratzer, Gerald
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Set Publisher 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://setpublisher.com/index.php/jbas/article/view/2456
https://doi.org/10.29169/1927-5129.2023.19.02
Description
Summary:This study provides temperature estimates about the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) in warming the Earth’s atmosphere using readily available information. It compares the grams of water vapor per kilogram (kg) of dry air with the number of grams of CO2 per kg of dry air. This comparison is over a year for 20 representative areas of the Earth. It shows the grams of water vapor range from 0.1 to 44.0 times that of CO2. The increased heat content (enthalpy) of the atmosphere by CO2 causes a maximum temperature increase of 0.006oC from the Poles to the Equator. This amount is too small to measure. These quantitative results indicate that the Tropics, representing 39.8% of the Earth’s surface, contain almost three-quarters of the atmosphere’s water vapor. In contrast, the Arctic and Antarctic areas at the Poles have an estimated 0.9% of the atmosphere’s water vapor. Water vapor is the significant greenhouse gas that keeps the Earth from being a frozen planet.