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Greenhouse gases make the atmosphere near Earth's surface mostly opaque to longwave radiation. The atmosphere only becomes transparent to longwave radiation at higher altitudes, where the air is less dense, there is less water vapor, and reduced pressure broadening of absorption lines limits the wavelengths that gas molecules can absorb. [56] [46]
where σ is the absorption cross section of a single CO 2 molecule, and n(y) is the number density of these molecules at altitude y. Due to the high dependence of the cross section in wavelength, the OD changes from around 0.1 at 13 microns to ~10 at 14 microns and even higher beyond 100 at 15 microns, then dropping off to ~10 at 16 microns, ~1 ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 27 February 2025. Gas in an atmosphere with certain absorption characteristics This article is about the physical properties of greenhouse gases. For how human activities are adding to greenhouse gases, see Greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap some of the heat that results when sunlight heats ...
Although individual CO 2 molecules have a short residence time in the atmosphere, it takes an extremely long time for carbon dioxide levels to sink after sudden rises, due to e.g. volcanic eruptions or human activity [17] and among the many long-lasting greenhouse gases, it is the most important because it makes up the largest fraction of the ...
An increase in temperature from greenhouse gases leading to increased water vapor (which is itself a greenhouse gas) causing further warming is a positive feedback, but not a runaway effect, on Earth. [13] Positive feedback effects are common (e.g. ice–albedo feedback) but runaway effects do not necessarily emerge from their presence.
Radiative forcing is defined in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report as follows: "The change in the net, downward minus upward, radiative flux (expressed in W/m 2) due to a change in an external driver of climate change, such as a change in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2), the concentration of volcanic aerosols or the output of the Sun." [3]: 2245
A polycarbonate is an oxocarbon dianion consisting of a chain of carbonate units, where successive carbonyl groups are directly linked to each other by shared additional oxygen atoms. That is, they are the conjugate bases of polycarbonic acids , the conceptual anhydrides of carbonic acid , or polymers of carbon dioxide .
The equilibrium solution with ε=0.82. The increase by Δε=0.04 corresponds to doubling carbon dioxide and the associated positive feedback on water vapor. The equilibrium solution with no greenhouse effect: ε=0. The infrared flux density out of the top of the atmosphere is computed as: