On 6/03/2012 2:00 AM, Dave wrote:

 >you describe many of the predictions of climate scientists today.

No, I did not describe any predictions.

I did say that what might be called the 'individual' bits of science is 
basic, so basic that most is covered in school science.

Carbon dioxide absorbs heat, so does water vapour.  Clouds reflect 
sunlight and block heat radiation from the earth.  If the atmosphere 
increases its carbon dioxide content then so does the ocean.  This makes 
it more acidic.  If it is more acidic it will affect the marine 
organisms that use calcium carbonate.  Unless you were away that day, 
you probably dropped a piece of calcium carbonate into some acid during 
science class.  All simple.  What are not simple are the feedback 
mechanisms.

So, carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere and thus in the ocean 
which becomes more acidic.  It also raises temperature of air and thus 
the ocean.  Warmer water tends to contain less gas so may increase the 
carbon dioxide in the air.  More acidic ocean may then tend to dissolve 
calcium carbonate releasing more carbon dioxide.  But the warmer ocean 
may be more productive and therefore absorb more carbon dioxide, and if 
a goodly proportion of this increase falls to the ocean bottom it may be 
removed from the cycle for long periods of time, thus stabilizing or 
even reducing carbon dioxide.  But the ocean tends to be short of 
nutrients.  Then again a warmer climate may increase water runoff, or 
produce drier areas with increases in wind speeds blowing more nutrients 
into said ocean and increasing nutrients.

Devilishly complex when the simple bits are put together.  And that is 
only a small part of the system.

Geoff Manning

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