Question by Chapin: How in the world does increased carbon dioxide (CO2) and other “green house” gases make the earth warm up?
I’ve never heard anyone answer this question. I’ve only heard them say, essentially, that there’s a correlation. I want to know how the mechanism works. Why and how does CO2 trap more heat than oxygen or some other gas? Otherwise, if global warming is only correlated with a rise in CO2, couldn’t you just as easily blame it on the existence of Al Gore? Since he’s been alive, the earth has warmed up quite a bit.
There seem to be a lot of other theories that make more sense intuitively. All the black top we lay down absorbs and retains heat. All the billions of machines, appliances, and devices that operate daily (and weren’t around 100 years ago) give off a whole lotta extra heat. All the cars and buildings with glass windows all over the world have sunlight shining into them and the heat gets trapped inside. They are all actually mini “greenhouses”.
Okay, it’s the structure of CO2 and it’s properties? That makes sense. But what’s special about the structure? Please get technical if you can. I want numbers and details if you can give them.
Also it seems to me that water vapor would be a better candidate because water has a high specific heat (it can hold a lot of heat). Maybe global warming is being caused by widepread irrigation. As we increase the surface area that water is spread out on, more of it evaporates an retains heat. Ever notice how it stays hot at night if there’s a lot of humidity? What do you think?
Best answer:
Answer by tigerstripeddogmd
Sunlight is absorbed by these molecules and trapped here on earth in the form of heat.
It is trapped particularly well by certian gasses, i.e. CO2, because of their molecular structure, number of electrons, and general properties.
Sunlight is either directly absorbed into these molecules as it passes into the earth’s atmosphere, OR it is prevented from escaping after it has been reflected off of the surface. The sunlight is transformed into heat energy, causing the molecules to vibrate more, and in turn increase the temperature. Albeit in small amounts, but over a large enough area, with enough mass, and enough time the results can be quite drastic.
Tiger Striped Dog MD
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