The Hot Water Bottle Effect

Here is an interesting article describing what the author calls “The Hot Water Bottle Effect.” In a nutshell, he’s saying that the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere is non-existent because of convection. Hot air rises, then it cools, and then will fall. Days and nights heat up and cool down the atmosphere so that any heat increase during the day is lost back into space at night. So, it’s a self-correcting problem. However, the heat in the oceans is much more significant than anything the atmosphere can ever hope to do. 71% of our planet is covered in water and this water holds heat from the Sun much longer than the atmosphere is capable of. Also, the water in the atmosphere, which is rarely discussed, and oceans take longer to warm up and release heat slower and over a longer period of time. Thus, CO2 in the atmosphere as well as other greenhouse gasses are insignificant when compared to water vapor and the oceans themselves. It makes a world of sense when you think about it. Anyway, the Sun’s radation warms the planet, the planet releases that radiation as heat back into space. If the Sun’s radiation increases, then the planet warms until the amount of heat buildup in the oceans equals the heat loss back into space. Duh! So, we know the Sun goes through cycles of increasing radiation and decreasing radiation and as a result controls our planet’s temperature. However, because water is dense and there is so much of it, there exists a delay between the time solor radiation levels change and the time the water absorbs and releases the heat.

Anyway, here’s the article. Please go read it yourself.

http://co2sceptics.com/news.php?id=1487

~ by Kevin on July 11, 2008.