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Top: Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels as measured in the atmosphere and ice cores. Bottom: The amount of net carbon increase in the atmosphere, compared to carbon emissions from burning fossil fuel.
Greenhouse gases are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse effect the Earth would be uninhabitable;http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/302/5651/1719 in its absence, the mean temperature of the earth would be about −19 °C (−2 °F, 254 K) rather than the present mean temperature of about 15 °C (59 °F, 288 K)http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Print_Ch01.pdf. Greenhouse gases include, in order of relative abundance: water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenhouse gases come from natural sources and human activity.
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Pattern of absorption bands created by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and their effect on both solar radiation and upgoing thermal radiation
When sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth, some of it is absorbed and warms the surface. Because the Earth\'s surface is much cooler than the sun, it radiates energy at much longer wavelengths than the sun does, peaking in the infrared at about 10µm. The atmosphere absorbs these longer wavelengths more effectively than it does the shorter wavelengths from the sun. The absorption of this longwave radiant energy warms the atmosphere; the atmosphere also is warmed by transfer of sensible and latent heat from the surface. Greenhouse gases also emit longwave radiation both upward to space and downward to the surface. The downward part of this longwave radiation emitted by the atmosphere is the "greenhouse effect." The term is a misnomer, as this process is not the mechanism that warms greenhouses.
The major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds); carbon dioxide, which causes 9–26%; methane, which causes 4–9%, and ozone, which causes 3–7%. It is not possible to state that a certain gas causes a certain percentage of the greenhouse effect, because the influences of the various gases are not additive. (The higher ends of the ranges quoted are for the gas alone; the lower ends, for the gas counting overlaps.)Kiehl, J. T.; Kevin E. Trenberth (February 1997). "Earth’s Annual Global Mean Energy Budget" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 78 (2): 197–208. Retrieved on 2006-05-01. Water vapour: feedback or forcing?. RealClimate (6 Apr 2005). Retrieved on 2006-05-01. Other greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons (see IPCC list of greenhouse gases).
The major atmospheric constituents (nitrogen, N2 and oxygen, O2) are not greenhouse gases. This is because homonuclear diatomic molecules such as N2 and O2 neither absorb nor emit infrared radiation, as there is no net change in the dipole moment of these molecules when they vibrate. Molecular vibrations occur at energies that are of the same magnitude as the energy of the photons on infrared light. Heteronuclear diatomics such as CO or HCl absorb IR; however, these molecules are short-lived in the atmosphere owing to their reactivity and solubility. As a consequence they do not contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect.
Late 19th century scientists experimentally discovered that N2 and O2 did not absorb infrared radiation (called, at that time, "dark radiation") and that CO2 and many other gases did absorb such radiation. It was recognized in the early 20th century that the known major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused the earth\'s temperature to be higher than it would have been without the greenhouse gases.
The projected temperature increase for a range of greenhouse gas stabilization scenarios (the coloured bands). The black line in middle of the shaded area indicates \'best estimates\'; the red and the blue lines the likely limits. From the work of IPCC AR4, 2007.
Per capita anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by country for the year 2000 including land-use change.
The concentrations of several greenhouse gases have increased over time.Climate Change 2001: Working Group I: The Scientific Basis: C.1 Observed Changes in Globally Well-Mixed Greenhouse Gas Concentrations and Radiative Forcing. Retrieved on 2006-05-01. Human activity may increase the greenhouse effect through release of carbon dioxide, but human influences on other greenhouse gases can also be important.Climate Change 2001: Working Group I: The Scientific Basis: figure 6-6. Retrieved on 2006-05-01. Some of the main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity include:
The seven sources of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion are (with percentage contributions for 2000–2004):
The U.S. EPA ranks the major greenhouse gas contributing end-user sectors in the following order: industrial, transportation, residential, commercial and agriculturalhttp://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html. Major sources of an individual\'s GHG include home heating and cooling, electricity consumption, and transportation. Corresponding conservation measures are improving home building insulation, compact fluorescent lamps and choosing high miles per gallon vehicles.
Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and three groups of fluorinated gases (sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs) are the major greenhouse gases and the subject of the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in 2005.Lerner & K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth (2006). Environmental issues : essential primary sources.". Thomson Gale. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
CFCs, although greenhouse gases, are regulated by the Montreal Protocol, which was motivated by CFCs\' contribution to ozone depletion rather than by their contribution to global warming. Note that ozone depletion has only a minor role in greenhouse warming though the two processes often are confused in the popular media.
Increasing water vapor at Boulder, Colorado.
Water vapor is a naturally occurring greenhouse gas and accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, between 36% and 66% realclimate.org. Water vapour: feedback or forcing?.. Water vapor concentrations fluctuate regionally, but human activity does not directly affect water vapor concentrations except at local scales (for example, near irrigated fields).
Current state-of-the-art climate models include fully interactive cloudsBBC News. Models \'key to climate forecasts\'.. They show that an increase in atmospheric temperature caused by the greenhouse effect due to anthropogenic gases will in turn lead to an increase in the water vapor content of the troposphere, with approximately constant relative humidity. The increased water vapor in turn leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect and thus a further increase in temperature; the increase in temperature leads to still further increase in atmospheric water vapor; and the feedback cycle continues until equilibrium is reached. Thus water vapor acts as a positive feedback to the forcing provided by human-released greenhouse gases such as CO2. Held, Isaac M. & Soden, Brian J. (2006), "Robust Responses of the Hydrological Cycle to Global Warming", Journal of Climate 19 (21): 5686–5699, doi:10.1175/JCLI3990, <http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2006/ih0601.pdf>. Retrieved on 11 July 2007
Measurements from Antarctic ice cores show that just before industrial emissions started, atmospheric CO2 levels were about 280 parts per million by volume (ppm; the units µL/L are occasionally used and are identical to parts per million by volume). From the same ice cores it appears that CO2 concentrations stayed between 260 and 280 ppm during the preceding 10,000 years. Studies using evidence from stomata of fossilized leaves suggest greater variability, with CO2 levels above 300 ppm during the period 7,000–10,000 years ago,Friederike Wagner, Bent Aaby and Henk Visscher (2002). "Rapid atmospheric CO2 changes associated with the 8,200-years-B.P. cooling event". PNAS 99 (19): 12011–12014. doi:10.1073/pnas.182420699. though others have argued that these findings more likely reflect calibration/contamination problems rather than actual CO2 variability.Andreas Indermühle, Bernhard Stauffer, Thomas F. Stocker (1999). "Early Holocene Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations". Science 286 (5446): 1815. doi:10.1126/science.286.5446.1815a. Early Holocene Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations. Science. Retrieved on May 26, 2005.H.J. Smith, M Wahlen and D. Mastroianni (1997). "The CO2 concentration of air trapped in GISP2 ice from the Last Glacial Maximum-Holocene transition". Geophysical Research Letters 24 (1): 1–4.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentrations of many of the greenhouse gases have increased. The concentration of CO2 has increased by about 100 ppm (i.e., from 280 ppm to 380 ppm). The first 50 ppm increase took place in about 200 years, from the start of the Industrial Revolution to around 1973; the next 50 ppm increase took place in about 33 years, from 1973 to 2006. [1]PDF (96.8 KiB). Many observations are available on line in a variety of Atmospheric Chemistry Observational Databases. The greenhouse gases with the largest radiative forcing are:
| Gas | Current (1998) Amount by volume | Increase over pre-industrial (1750) | Percentage increase | Radiative forcing (W/m²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide | | | | |
| Methane | | | | |
| Nitrous oxide | | | | |
Global anthropogenic Carbon emissions 1751–2004.
| Gas | Current (1998) Amount by volume | Radiative forcing (W/m²) |
|---|---|---|
| CFC-11 | | |
| CFC-12 | | |
| CFC-113 | | |
| Carbon tetrachloride | | |
| HCFC-22 | | |
(Source: IPCC radiative forcing report 1994 updated (to 1998) by IPCC TAR table 6.1 [2][3]).
Greenhouse gas intensity in 2000 including land-use change
The sharp acceleration in CO2 emissions since 2000 of >3% y−1 (>2 ppm y−1) from 1.1% y−1 during the 90\'s is attributable to the lapse of formerly declining trends in carbon intensity of both developing and developed nations. Although over 3/4 of cumulative anthropogenic CO2 is still attributable to the developed world, China was responsible for most of global growth in emissions during this period. Localised plummeting emissions associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union have been followed by slow emissions growth in this region due to more efficient energy use, made necessary by the increasing proportion of it that is exported.Raupach, M.R. et al. (2007) "Global and regional drivers of accelerating CO2 emissions." Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 104(24): 10288–10293. In comparison, methane has not increased appreciably, and N2O by 0.25% y−1[4].
Atmospheric levels of the main greenhouse gas have set another new peak in a sign of the industrial rise of Asian economies led by China. http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46517/story.htm Over the 2000-2010 interval China is expected to increase its carbon emissions by 600 MT, largely because of the rapid construction of old-fashioned power plants in poorer internal provinces.[http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/international/03-08ChinasCarbonDioxideEmissions.asp "UC Analysis Shows Alarming Increase in Expected Growth of China\'s Carbon Dioxide Emissions" accessed 2008-03-11
The United Stateshttp://www.graphwise.com/portal/index.php?/archives/104-U.S.-Carbon-Dioxide-Emissions-from-Energy-Sources.html emitted 16.3% more GHG in 2005 than it did in 1990.Emissions inventory from the EPA, cited in Science News, vol. 171, p. 318 According to a preliminary estimate by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, the largest national producer of CO2 emissions since 2006 has been China with an estimated annual production of about 6200 megatonnes. It is followed by the United States with about 5,800 megatonnes. Relative to 2005, China\'s fossil CO2 emissions increased in 2006 by 8.7%, while in the USA, comparable CO2 emissions decreased in 2006 by 1.4%. The agency notes that its estimates do not include some CO2 sources of uncertain magnitude"China now no. 1 in CO2 emissions; USA in second position" (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-21.. Although these tonnages are small compared to the CO2 in the Earth\'s atmosphere, they are significantly larger than pre-industrial levels.
Major greenhouse gas trends
Aside from water vapor, which has a residence time of days, most greenhouse gases take many years to leave the atmosphere. Although it is not easy to know with precision how long it takes greenhouse gases to leave the atmosphere, there are estimates for the principal greenhouse gases.
A related concept is the airbourne fraction, which is the proportion of a GHG (usually CO2) which remains in the atmosphere immeadiately after it is omitted. For CO2 the fraction has fluctuated around 50% for the past 20 years.
Greenhouse gases can be removed from the atmosphere by various processes:
Per capita responsibility for current anthropogenic atmospheric CO2
Two scales can be used to describe the effect of different gases in the atmosphere. The first, the atmospheric lifetime, describes how long it takes to restore the system to equilibrium following a small increase in the concentration of the gas in the atmosphere. Individual molecules may interchange with other reservoirs such as soil, the oceans, and biological systems, but the mean lifetime refers to the decaying away of the excess. It is sometimes erroneously claimed that the atmospheric lifetime of CO2 is only a few years because that is the average time for any CO2 molecule to stay in the atmosphere before being removed by mixing into the ocean, uptake by photosynthesis, or other processes. This ignores the balancing fluxes of CO2 into the atmosphere from the other reservoirs. It is the net concentration changes of the various greenhouse gases by all sources and sinks that determines atmospheric lifetime, not just the removal processes.
The second scale is global warming potential (GWP). The GWP depends on both the efficiency of the molecule as a greenhouse gas and its atmospheric lifetime. GWP is measured relative to the same mass of CO2 and evaluated for a specific timescale. Thus, if a molecule has a high GWP on a short time scale (say 20 years) but has only a short lifetime, it will have a large GWP on a 20 year scale but a small one on a 100 year scale. Conversely, if a molecule has a longer atmospheric lifetime than CO2 its GWP will increase with time.
Examples of the atmospheric lifetime and GWP for several greenhouse gases include:
MOPITT 2000 global carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide has an indirect radiative effect by elevating concentrations of methane and tropospheric ozone through scavenging of atmospheric constituents (e.g., the hydroxyl radical, OH) that would otherwise destroy them. Carbon monoxide is created when carbon-containing fuels are burned incompletely. Through natural processes in the atmosphere, it is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide has an atmospheric lifetime of only a few monthsImpact of Emissions, Chemistry, and Climate on Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide: 100-year Predictions from a Global Chemistry-Climate ModelPDF (115 KiB) and as a consequence is spatially more variable than longer-lived gases.
Another potentially important indirect effect comes from methane, which in addition to its direct radiative impact also contributes to ozone formation. Shindell et al (2005)Shindell, Drew T.; Faluvegi, Greg; Bell, Nadine; Schmidt, Gavin A. "An emissions-based view of climate forcing by methane and tropospheric ozone", Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 32, No. 4 [5] argue that the contribution to climate change from methane is at least double previous estimates as a result of this effect.Methane\'s Impacts on Climate Change May Be Twice Previous Estimates
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