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Global WarmingA Geological and Thermodynamic Theory
Fernando CroccoGeologist
The Greenhouse EffectPre Statements
Earth Systems (Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere and lithosphere) work together to protect the planet from the action of all the sun energy it receives continuously.
LithosphereHydrosphere
Cryosphere
Biosphere
The earths protection system is known as the Greenhouse Effect.
The Greenhouse effect was created during the earths geological history. It has been changed continuously and the life activity played a key hole in its construction.
The Greenhouse effect is a response of an intimated relationship between Earth Systems (the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere) and their interaction with the sun energy.
Pre Statements
The Greenhouse Effect
The sedimentation of banded iron formations, limestone and other types of rocks are examples of some processes that promote transformations in the earths systems making exchanges between their compounds.
The life metabolism is permanently capturing sun energy creating more complex molecules from simple substances. Some of these new molecules are incorporated in the lithosphere as rocks (limestones, petroleum, etc).
The biological activity transformed the atmosphere composition during the earths history mainly cleaning it up from CO2, but doing other chemical transformations too.
The Greenhouse EffectPre Statements
Pre Statements
Earth systems work to maintain a constant internal storage of energy in the planet.
The maintenance of the storage obviously is not perfect, but stable.
The interactions between the systems create a buffer effect that works continuously to re-equilibrate the system if any variation happens.
The Greenhouse Effect
Earths Energy Budget
Reflected6%+20%+4%=30%
Radiated64%+6%=70%
Total 100%
The Facts
The earths greenhouse effect has been broken because more energy has been released in the earths systems from the human activities.
The human civilization way of life is requiring more and more energy progressively.
The Greenhouse Breach
All human activities that produce work liberate heat to earth systems, especially the fossil fuel burning.
Nowhere in the earth is there night anymore.
The Greenhouse BreachThe Facts
The Greenhouse BreachConsumption means energy.
The Facts
The Sea Surface Temperature (SST)The sea water temperature is rising significantly
The Facts
The hydrosphere represents a huge reservoir to store energy. The oceans capacity to store energy is more than a hundred times bigger than the atmosphere capacity.
Present concentration of CO2 dissolved in the surface sea water is 80-90ppm. The sea water has the capacity to dissolve at least 10 times the present concentration.
Energy received from the
sun in the day face
Energy released in the night
face
The greenhouse effect stores an amount of energy in the earths systems in a steady state.This energy is constant if we consider a scale of years.
Before the industrial age the thermodynamic balance in the earths systems were an equation we can summarize as:
equalequal
The Theory
Energy released in
the night face
Energy received from the sun in the
day face
Energy stored in the earths systems is progressively increasing:Energy normally stored + The energy released by human activities.
equalequal
After the industrial age the thermodynamic balance in the earths systems was entering progressively in an imbalance condition:
stillstill
The Theory
The system is not regulated to release this surplus to space. It is regulated to keep itself stable.
The energy added to the earths systems by human activities is a surplus in the greenhouse effect
The energy surplus has been stored in the earths systems.
The ocean and atmosphere currents distribute the energy around the globe.
The Theory
0 10 20 30 40 50 Co-10-20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90-100
10
20
30
40
50
60
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90
100
...
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Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
TroposphereClouds
Ozone Layer
Temperature
Mount Everest
Altit
ude
(Km
)
( C)o
The atmosphere is structured and regulated to maintain the same amount of energy stored in the earths systems. The atmosphere is packaged in layers and the temperature swings from 25oC (media) on the planet surface to -90oC in the thermosphere.
Energy can’t pass through this structure freely.
Atmosphere releases energy to the space only by radiation.
The Theory
The energy produced by human work activities is stored:
• In the water steam. The water is the greenhouse effect main gas;
• In the water, mainly in the oceans. Oceans are a gigantic mass of mater capable to store energy increasing their temperature by exciting the Hydrogen-Oxygen bounds and dissolving other substances like CO2, CH4, etc.
• In the gases produced by the fossil fuels burning that are released to the atmosphere;
• In the progressive consumption of the cryosphere, transforming ice to water;
• In the acceleration of the biotic cycle system renewal (mainly the crops and animal breed).
Where the energy released by human activities in going to?
The Theory
• Controlling the CO2 emissions won’t be enough to solve the global warming problem;
• Certainly the earths systems and its greenhouse effect are already working to re-equilibrate the internal energy, but we don’t know how much time is going to be spent in this task and in which direction the changes are going to be guided;
• The Global Warming problem and its solution are intimately related with the human civilization use of energy.
• Many other problems have impacts on the Global Warming trend but they are secondary to the human releasing of energy in the earth systems.
Conclusions:
