Re: Geoengineering - Possible Ways to Counteract Global Warming



Kirk Gordon wrote:


BottleBob wrote:
To All:

In this month's (Nov. 2008) issue of Scientific American, there is an article on proposed ways to cool the Earth.


Uh... Isn't sulfuric acid in the atmosphere a big part of what's wrong with Venus?

Kirk:

Yes, Venus has sulfur dioxide clouds. But I think Venus' runaway greenhouse effect is mainly due to it's atmosphere being predominately CO2 AND being thick, to the extent of ~ 1,300 PSI at the surface.

=================================================================
Atmosphere of Venus:

Venus has an extremely dense atmosphere, which consists mainly of carbon dioxide and a small amount of nitrogen. The atmospheric mass is 93 times that of Earth's atmosphere while the pressure at the planet's surface is about 92 times that at Earth's surface—a pressure equivalent to that at a depth of nearly 1 kilometer under Earth's oceans. The density at the surface is 65 kg/m³ (6.5% that of water). The enormously CO2-rich atmosphere, along with thick clouds of sulfur dioxide, generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the solar system,
=================================================================


And isn't water the "worst" of the so-called greenhouse gasses, in terms of its ability to let sunlight into the atmosphere, and then trap heat before it can escape into space?

If the Earth didn't have ANY water vapor in the form of clouds, it's albedo (reflecting ability) would drop and more radiation would reach the surface, BUT...

===================================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo

Clouds

Clouds are another source of albedo that play into the global warming equation. Different types of clouds have different albedo values, theoretically ranging from a minimum of near 0% to a maximum in the high 70s. "On any given day, about half of Earth is covered by clouds, which reflect more sunlight than land and water. Clouds keep Earth cool by reflecting sunlight, but they can also serve as blankets to trap warmth."[
===================================================================

Now what confuses the issue is that water vapor and sulfur dioxide clouds can have the dual effect of cooling AND warming, that are diametrically opposed.

Perhaps the space based filtering ideas might be a more clear cut option.


--
BottleBob
http://home.earthlink.net/~bottlbob

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: What the hell is this government up to?
    ... experiencing does not correlate at all well to the changes in CO2 ... Venus absorbs less energy from the sun than the earth due to its ... unfortunately most of that carbon is in its atmosphere. ... Can you find a reference for Venus absorbing less energy than Earth? ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Tracking Alien Turbulences With Venus Express
    ... Tracking alien turbulences with Venus Express ... into the turbulent and noxious atmosphere of Earth's sister planet. ... clouds are irregular and assume a peculiar ...
    (sci.space.news)
  • Re: News: Evolution pace differentiates climate on Venus, Earth.
    ... evolution on the two planets. ... Express spacecraft now orbiting Venus. ... down because it was unable to develop plate tectonics like earth. ... provided the info about Venus' atmosphere being mostly CO2, ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: What the hell is this government up to?
    ... The greenhouse effect of CO2 is physics, the extra heating effect can't just disappear. ... It is fortunate that in the past increases of CO2 were accompanied by sulfate aerosol particles which cooled the earth. ... Venus absorbs less energy from the sun than the earth due to its albedo, ... If the Earths atmosphere was on Venus and Venus retained it albedo it would be freezing. ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: What the hell is this government up to?
    ... experiencing does not correlate at all well to the changes in CO2 ... Venus absorbs less energy from the sun than the earth due to its ... unfortunately most of that carbon is in its atmosphere. ... Can you find a reference for Venus absorbing less energy than Earth? ...
    (uk.legal)
Loading