Global temperature forced by solar irradiation and greenhouse gases?

Authors
Citation
W. Karlen, Global temperature forced by solar irradiation and greenhouse gases?, AMBIO, 30(6), 2001, pp. 349-350
Citations number
21
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
Journal title
AMBIO
ISSN journal
0044-7447 → ACNP
Volume
30
Issue
6
Year of publication
2001
Pages
349 - 350
Database
ISI
SICI code
0044-7447(200109)30:6<349:GTFBSI>2.0.ZU;2-Y
Abstract
The global temperature has increased in recent time, as has the atmospheric concentration Of CO2, CH, and other gases. However, most of the temperatur e increase occurred before the anthropogenic release Of CO2 became a potent ially important factor. Greenhouse gases cause a warming of the world becau se these gas molecules absorb outgoing long-wave radiation and therefore le ss radiation will be lost to space (1). The effect of an increased atmosphe ric concentration of greenhouse gases is not known; theoretically, the effe ct is nonlinear and decreases with increasing concentration (2). Changes in solar irradiation also have an impact on the global climate although the m agnitude of this impact is still unclear. The relevance,and weight of some of the arguments used in support of the theory that the climate is highly s ensitive to greenhouse gases, in particular to CO2, are questioned here.