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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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