In reply to Rick Monteverde's message of Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:31:32 -1000: Hi, [snip] > >1. We're all children of the Mu. > >2. A gambler goes into a casino with $1000, plays for a while, then counts >up and finds he has $1300. "I'm winning" he says, "and it's because of my >lucky troll doll". > >3. A failed presidential candidate goes into an auditorium and plays a movie >he made about melting ice, smokestacks, and SUVs. "It's warming" he says, >"and it's because of our carbon output".
He is at least partially correct, since the CO2 level is very high, and getting higher, and it's a greenhouse gas. However it may not be the only cause of global warming. Nevertheless, it is probably the only one over which we have any control as a specie(s?), at this stage of our technological development. Furthermore, as the temperature of the atmosphere rises, so does the saturation point of the air (i.e. the maximum partial vapor pressure of water vapor). That means that the air can hold more water vapor at higher temperatures, and water vapor is an even stronger greenhouse gas than CO2. As the temperature rises, more water evaporates. This is a positive feedback loop. The effect of the CO2 is thus leveraged by water vapor. To make matters worse, the tundra is melting too, and also yielding up both CO2 and CH4 (another strong greenhouse gas). Yet another positive feedback loop. It may not be "hundreds of years", but mere decades, if these positive feedback loops kick in strongly. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk The shrub is a plant.
