CO2 Mechanism

Hello everyone, I just thought of making a thread on the mechanism of CO2 in the atmosphere. The reason is that I have members saying in threads that CO2 is just a small gas, minority gas and it cant do much harm, but, it is quite the opposite all is due to the chemical nature of the gas, which makes large quantities in the atmosphere dangerous.

First, the chemical nature of CO2 has to be explained in detail. And this is based on absorption spectroscopy of the gas.

Absorption Spectroscopy

Now the nature of CO2 is.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas as it transmits visible light but absorbs strongly in the infrared and near-infrared

So, CO2 is transparent to incoming solar radiation, and opaque to outgoing infrared radiation as it abosorbs it and retains it.

So, the question might come. Where does the infra red radiation come in the first place? Let alone retaining it.

Everyone knows that during the daytime, the incomind solar radiation heats the earth up and during night time, as the earth cools, the earth releases the radiation in the form of infrared radiation. And this infrared radiation is then absorbed by the CO2 in the atmosphere thus heating it up.

So, equating both, you will see the link and see that CO2 can do much harm by heating the atmosphere.

Carbon-di-oxide

so, you have found out what an absorption spectrum is, that's very good. now on to the next part:

Saturation

meaning that most of the IR is blocked out already even at 'pre-industrial' levels within a very short distance. since this topic isn't new by any stretch, i'll simply re-post:

www.abovetopsecret.com...


so, how do clouds factor into all of this? what about the difference between a clear and an overcast night? which is cooler?

do you what isn't modelled (in climate simulations) in any reasonable shape or form? i'll give you a hint, it's mentioned above.

reply to post by peacejet


Here's a good source of info on CO2 and the greenhouse effect. As Lance notes, the saturation issue isn't new at all - it was clarified in the 1950s by Callendar, Plass and others.

Enjoy.



[edit on 21-2-2009 by melatonin]

So peacejet u have stated the harm caused by co2 in atmosphere. recently i read an article in a local magazine . tat is a ecofriendly watch designed in such a way that it absorbs co2 and releases o2. we should see as the time proceeds whether this tecnology would help the atmosphere.

Originally posted by bluepearl
So peacejet u have stated the harm caused by co2 in atmosphere. recently i read an article in a local magazine . tat is a ecofriendly watch designed in such a way that it absorbs co2 and releases o2. we should see as the time proceeds whether this tecnology would help the atmosphere.

Hello my dear college mate, I see that you are in a mood to derail this thread. I see that you are basing this on the biology exam that we had today which had the specific reference to plant mechanisms. But sadly, it wont hold up, as there is a need to introduce chemicals/organic materials(think chloroplast) for this to occur, and what will you do to with the carbohydrate you end up with?