Quote:Traditional anthropogenic theory of currently observed global warming states that release of carbon dioxide into atmosphere (partially as a result of utilization of fossil fuels) leads to an increase in atmospheric temperature because the molecules of CO2 (and other
greenhouse gases) absorb the infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface. This statement is based on the Arrhenius hypothesis, which was never verified (Arrhenius, 1896). The proponents of this theory take into consideration only one component of heat transfer in atmosphere, i.e., radiation. Yet, in the dense Earth’s troposphere with the pressure pa > 0:2 atm, the heat from the Earth’s surface is mostly transferred by convection (Sorokhtin, 2001a). According to our estimates, convection accounts for 67%, water vapor condensation in troposphere accounts for 25%, and radiation accounts for about 8% of the total heat transfer from the Earth’s surface to troposphere. Thus, convection is the dominant process of heat transfer in troposphere, and all the theories of Earth’s
atmospheric heating (or cooling) first of all must consider this process of heat (energy)– mass redistribution in atmosphere (Sorokhtin, 2001a, 2001b; Khilyuk and Chilingar, 2003, 2004).
When the temperature of a given mass of air increases, it expands, becomes lighter, and rises. In turn, the denser cooler air of upper layers of troposphere descends and replaces the warmer air of lower layers. This physical system (multiple cells of air convection) acts in the Earth’s troposphere like a continuous surface cooler. The cooling
effect by air convection can surpass considerably the the warming effect of radiation.
https://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/twimberley/EnviroPhilo/CoolingOfAtmosphere.pdfFor those who think cooling only comes from radiation.
New research -
Quote:A prevailing theme not only of GEWEX, but one that cuts across WCRP including within its new Lighthouse Activities (LHAs; www.wcrp-climate.org/lha-overview) and beyond, is the emphasis on km-scale modeling called out above. Existing climate models have significant shortcomings in simulating local weather and climate because of a lack of resolution. They cannot resolve the detailed structure and life cycles of systems such as tropical cyclones, depressions, and persistent high pressure systems, which are key in the coupling of the energy and water cycle. These systems also drive many of the more costly impacts of climate change, such as coastal inundation, flooding, droughts, and wildfires. Present-day global models are also unable to resolve ocean currents that are fundamental to climate variability and regional climate change (Marotzke et al. 2017). Recent studies illustrate the potential of the new generation of high-resolution models for revolutionizing the quality of information available for mitigation and adaptation, from global and regional climate impacts, to risks of unprecedented extreme weather and dangerous climate change. A thread common across both GEWEX objectives and these new modeling initiatives is the topic of convection, not only from the context of resolving it with models, but also for its importance to the prediction of precipitation and severe weather. Resolving convection is essential for understanding the future of our water resources and for protection from flash flooding under climate change (Slingo et al. 2022). This comes with the challenge in representing the couplings between the main components of the systems across this range of scales ultimately moving these models to km-scale Earth system models.
GEWEX in the decade of km-scale Earth system science
As GEWEX moves forward, it does so under a simple vision articulated at the 2018 GEWEX Open Science Conference by Dr. Alan Betts during his keynote address, “Water, energy: Life on Earth,” which underscores the very basic challenge of the next phase of GEWEX and beyond: that humanity is deeply embedded in an interconnected physical Earth system. That the Earth system influences humanity in profound ways is well understood, but an appreciation for the wider and profound influences of humanity on the Earth system, and on the hydrological and climate cycles in particular, continues to be realized. The connections between water, energy, and life become particularly acute as we strive to bring Earth sciences down to the km scale (e.g., Slingo et al. 2022), a point further underscored by reference to Fig. 7 that also hints at why we expect this connection will become increasingly important as GEWEX moves into the next phase. The figure offers a contrast between the natural water cycle, expressed here as a mean discharge of the Amazon (5,000 km3 yr−1), the largest river by volume, compared to the volume of global water withdrawn by different sectors of human society. The modification to the continental water cycle occurring from a continually increasing human withdrawal is now larger than the mean discharge of the Amazon River. The impact is more complex to evaluate as not all water abstracted by humans from the natural system is consumed. Human water management practices impact river discharge, coastal processes and contribute nontrivially to sea level rise (e.g., Reager et al. 2016).
The First 30 Years of GEWEX -Stephens et al 2023
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/104/1/BAMS-D-22-0061.1.xml