The article answers a question I have often heard, Does CO2 absorb Solar radiation? It does but the amount is small relative to the total solar that "penetrates" the Top of the Atmosphere (TOA). The TOA reference is a bit flexible. Since the calculations of incident total solar irradiation (TSI) are based on a flat disk, TSI at the TOA is a dawn to dark thing. My puzzling 65 Wm-2 or 184K Turbopause reference is approximately 100 kilometers above the surface which would have a much longer "day" than the true surface. It just so happens that at that altitude, CO2 can absorb the 65 Wm-2 of solar energy without ever penetrating the Climate Science defined TOA. This should explain why both Earth and Venus share the 184K quirk. The energy is absorbed above the TOA in the heterosphere or the atmosphere above the turbopause. Since this region is also called the Ionosphere it could also explain the quirky correlation of climate to geomagnetic field fluctuations and tidal forces. Also with ~65Wm-2 of energy not included in the Energy Budget, about half of the Greenhouse Effect, why the models and theory appear to be twice as high as they should be, they did not include all of the atmosphere.
I was hoping the 65 Wm-2 would have a more exotic cause, but it looks like it was just a simple mistake. Climate scientists just picked the wrong frame of reference.
To see more about the impact you can read the Carnot Divider post which uses a surface frame of reference and basic Carnot Efficiency to estimate most of the "radiant" forcings without all the exotic assumptions.
"This should explain why both Earth and Venus share the 184K quirk" I didn't understand this, can you explain further please ?
ReplyDeleteSince this region is also called the Ionosphere it could also explain the quirky correlation of climate to geomagnetic field"
Vuk does get a remarkably good correlation with one of his graphs.
"Climate scientists just picked the wrong frame of reference." Presumably you are referring to the ERL which the Troika of Monckton, Eschenbach, and Mosher are so keen on, which I am suspicious is unfalsifiable.
J. Martin, The 184K is the black body temperature of venus and would be the black body temperature of Earth if is did no have such a strong stratospheric inversion.
ReplyDeleteActually the Frame of reference TOA is closer to the tropopause, near the most turbulent region of the Earth climate. The ERL used is so poorly defined it is hard to tell what it is supposed to be.