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Andrew A. Lacis, (NYT,17. Feb.2010; DOT EARTH by A. Revkin) Excerpts :
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/lacis-at-nasa-on-role-of-co2-in-warming/
- “We
have come to understand that nothing happens
in this world expect as allowed by the laws of
physics. What this means is that for every
physical action there is going to be a
well-defined cause, and a well-defined effect.
Quantum mechanical weirdness that operates at
atomic scale does not invalidate this physical
description of the macroscopic range that is
of interest.”
- “The
bottom line is that CO2 is absolutely,
positively, and without question, the single
most important greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere.”
- “To
understand climate change, it is necessary to
know the radiative forcings that drive the
climate system away from its reference
equilibrium state. These radiative forcings
have been analyzed and evaluated by Hansen et
al. (2005, 2007). They include changes in
solar irradiance, greenhouse gases,
tropospheric aerosols, and volcanic aerosols.
Of these forcings, the only non-human-induced
forcing that produces warming of the surface
temperature is the estimated long-term
increase by 0.3 W/m2 of solar irradiance since
1750. Volcanic eruptions are episodic, and can
produce strong but temporary cooling. All of
the other forcings are directly tied to human
activity.”
A Readers Comment (No 4; Gene G, New Jersey, February 17th, 2010, 4:29
pm
“Dr.
Lacis says CO2 is the single most important
greenhouse gas, but carefully does not say gas or
vapor in which case it would surely be water vapor
by far.”
Our Comment:
Those who do not recognize the difference of the ‘heat content’
and ‘radiative forcing’ between continents and
oceans, but confine their view on the atmosphere,
will hardly ever make a reasonable contribution to
anthropogenic climate change. The oceans drive to
weather and climate due to their permanent supply
of water vapor,
the enormous heat stored, and its low mean
temperatures of on four degrees Celsius. Human
activities in the marine environment can quickly
alter its ‘natural structure’, which can be
fishing, shipping, or exploration. The two World
Wars could prove it.
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