Earth's atmosphere
is divided into
several layers.
The altitude
of the layers
varies with
the distance
from the equator
(the latitude )
in an oval shape
with the
thickest part
of the oval
above the equator.
The lowest layer
is the troposphere.
The boundary between
the troposphere and
the stratosphere,
is the tropopause.
The primary
greenhouse gas
in the troposphere
is water vapor.
The tropopause is at
the top of the troposphere,
where water vapor freezes
out of the atmosphere.
Above the tropopause,
water vapor is no longer
an important greenhouse
gas.
A greenhouse gas
is a any gas
in the atmosphere
that interferes
with earth’s cooling --
through the loss of infrared
heat energy into space.
Troposphere
That's where weather occurs.
There's significant heat transfer
from circulating air and from
the evaporation / condensation cycle,
Water vapor absorbs a huge amount
of heat at the surface by evaporation
of water and releases it up in the
atmosphere where the vapor
condenses into clouds.
These complex processes
are in addition to the influence
of greenhouse gases
including water vapor.
Greenhouse gasses absorbing
and re-emitting photons --
interfering with Earth's cooling
( by long-wave infrared radiation ).
The most important region
for greenhouse gases,
especially water vapor,
is the tropics, where the
troposphere is thickest.
So it absorbs most of the
incoming solar radiation
and emits most of the
infrared energy going
to space.
Tropopause Altitude:
-- At the equator,
about 18 km
( 60,000 feet,
or 11 miles ).
-- In the mid- latitudes,
about 11 km
( 36,000 feet,
or 7 miles )
-- At the poles,
about 8 km
( 26,000 feet,
or 5 miles ).
Water vapor declines, and
the temperature drops,
as you move higher
in the troposphere,
when there are no clouds
-- the gradual decrease
when there are no clouds
-- the gradual decrease
in temperature is
called "the lapse rate".
When clouds are included,
this generalization fails,
which is one reason
there's no generalized
theory of the greenhouse
effect.
When clouds are included,
this generalization fails,
which is one reason
there's no generalized
theory of the greenhouse
effect.
Stratosphere
The temperature of the
lower stratosphere
remains roughly constant,
with increasing altitude.
Then the temperature
gradually rises
with altitude,
from ultraviolet light,
heating the ozone layer.
There is little water vapor
in this layer, so there's less
transfer of heat by convection
( such as air or water circulation,
winds or currents ).
Science Fraud
The proper place to measure
The proper place to measure
the influence of increasing CO2
is in the troposphere.
-- Troposphere data have been
available since 1979, from
weather satellites -- but climate
alarmists ignore the satellites,
as if they did not exist.
-- Natural causes of climate variation
are always ignored by alarmists,
even though natural causes
of climate change were responsible
for the past 4.5 billion years
of climate change.
-- When listing the greenhouse gases
that may be causing global warming,
the IPCC does not include water vapor,
the most important greenhouse gas.
They falsely argue that water vapor
falls out of the atmosphere as rain
within a few days.
In fact, water vapor is persistent
in the atmosphere, even though
individual water droplets may fall out.
-- NASA’s Earth Observatory maps show
water vapor, based on data collected
by the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor
on NASA's Aqua satellite.
What is especially important
is the band ( Inter-tropical
Convergence Zone ) of
extremely humid air as it
wobbles north and south
of the equator,
as seasons change.
Greenhouse Effect
This effect is a natural part
of Earth’s atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases raise
average surface temperature
by an unknown amount.
Water vapor and clouds
account for 70% to 90%
of the greenhouse effect.
The other major greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide, contributing an
estimated 5% to 25%.
Without the greenhouse effect,
the land outside of the tropics
would be much colder at night.
Such temperatures would
prevent agriculture in the
temperate regions.
Grasses such as wheat and corn
would not grow without it.
So the greenhouse effect
is critical for agriculture and life.
The EPA ignored all the benefits
of greenhouse gases and the
greenhouse effect, but produced
no hard evidence of harm,
only questionable studies
and models that do not describe
what is actually happening
in the atmosphere, as measured
by weather satellites.
For the Supreme Court
to have found that
greenhouse gases,
water vapor and
carbon dioxide,
are pollutants that can be
regulated by the EPA,
under the Clean Air Act,
should require
extraordinary evidence.
We are still waiting for
even ordinary evidence !