The climate-science tag has no wiki summary.
1
vote
1answer
26 views
What is the effect of humidity in temperature?
Suppose we have a building in an area with weather conditions $W_t$ at time $t$, and suppose we could change the relative humidity $\phi_t \in W_t$. Would the change in relative humidity $\phi_t$ have ...
2
votes
0answers
35 views
How can I interpret negative values of potential evapotranspiration?
If I extract Potential Evaporation (PET, W/m$^2$) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), climate reanalysis data (downloadable as netCDF files here), there are some negative ...
2
votes
2answers
172 views
Increase thermal efficiency of combustion engine by using heat of coolant/exhaust?
I can't be the only one who's ever thought of this, but obviously it hasn't caught on:
In terms of energy density, fossil fuels are the best thing around short of enriched uranium (and, flammability ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Sensors for Greenhouse Study
A group and I have the opportunity to design a payload that will be sent up some 100,000 ft (~ 30 km) into the atmosphere for approximately 3 hours. In our design, we were going to include gas sensors ...
8
votes
1answer
139 views
Do gases reflect some IR radiation?
The usual definition given for a greenhouse gas is that it absorbs infrared radiation. Of course, then the gas emits its own thermal radiation, and it does so without preference for direction ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
Equations for the two-plane model of the greenhouse effect
I'm trying to understand this "toy model" of the greenhouse effect.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/04/learning-from-a-simple-model
The model predicts the surface temperature of ...
3
votes
0answers
78 views
Theoretically speaking what are the limits for super-capacitors in terms of their storage capability?
According to wikipedia, commercially available super-capacitors in 2010 can store 30Wh/kg, with 85Wh/kg achieved in a lab in 2011.
Have any theoretical calculations been done to show what can be ...
3
votes
2answers
124 views
Intensity in rainfall and global warming [closed]
Why we should observe an increment on the mean intensity in rainfalls and an increment on mean dry days with global warming?
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Do greenhouse gasses make the world habitable?
An ageing gent says he does not accept this statement:
...
2
votes
1answer
207 views
How relative humidity and temperature affect rainfalls
The question is simple as stated in the title. How relative humidity and temperature affect rainfalls? I can't find a satisfatory answer in the web. Who can help me to understand me this relation?
0
votes
1answer
91 views
The effects of nuclear warhead detonations on the Earth's environment and global warming
For years I have been hearing all sorts of conflicting information about global warming. Many say that scientists have proven that humans have been warming the Earth significantly with their actions. ...
3
votes
1answer
189 views
Is it possible that nuclear fission contributes to climate change?
This is probably a really stupid question, please forgive me.
Is it possible that the use of nuclear fission on earth contributes to the increased energy in the Earth's system as according with the ...
2
votes
2answers
99 views
What is the relation of the release time of fossil fuel emissions to climate change? [closed]
This question presupposes that
The amount of fossil fuels on earth is limited
Mankind will burn all of its fossil fuels eventually
Based on these presuppositions, the total amount of CO2 released ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views
What is the spectrum of the Earth's albedo?
I was recently discussing climate change with a friend and was surprised (and embarrassed) to learn that the heat capacity of CO${}_2$ is not higher than that of nitrogen contrary to my assertions. ...
0
votes
2answers
99 views
Atmosphere above huge fire areas (e.g., “fire ocean”)? [closed]
My question is more about climate sciences, but I hope that it is still related to physics.
What would be possible atmospheric conditions for planet with some kind of "fire" ocean?
I had some ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
What is the average total heat incident on Earth's surface each hour?
Just what the title states
Some part or the other of this Globe faces approximately towards the Sun during each 24 hour period. What is the total amount of heat (in calories) incident on average ...
1
vote
2answers
108 views
During an Ice Age, would someone at moderate latitude get a sunburn/suntan on a sunny day?
Let's say you live at a moderate (temperate, in today's terms) latitude during the last glacial maximum. You're probably in some kind of steppe or taiga biome, even though you're at 40 degrees north, ...
4
votes
2answers
263 views
Greenhouse gases
A post (below) on the Bishop Hill blog relating to climate change asserts that no warming effect can be attributed to CO2. I don't know whether the author is really a physicist but it sounds ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Clouds in closed hydrosphere
Is possible estimate the needed size of an geodesic dome (like in the Eden project) for creating an real hydrosphere - especially clouds (and rain)?
With other words, under what circumstances can ...
1
vote
3answers
169 views
If humans were able to catch all sun energy reaching the earth for their use, will the climate change?
I guess that energy will be used up and, at the end, will contribute
to heat the earth, so I see no big differences...
please explain your point of view.
8
votes
2answers
463 views
Why is radiative forcing from CO2 logarithimic and not a decreasing exponential?
I have a question about climate science, but this is relatively straight forward and (I hope) easy.
I've been reading that the radiative forcing caused by CO2 in the atmosphere (or any gas) is ...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
How is the mechanism of greenhouse gases interacting with IR radiation?
How does atmospheric CO2 and other Greenhousgases (GHG) affect the incoming (from sun) and outgoing (from earth) radiation. I understand that at certain wavenumbers (or areas of wavenumbers) in the ...
2
votes
4answers
179 views
What could cause a planet to have apparently random season lengths?
The world A Song of Fire and Ice series is set on is characterized by seasons that last several years (how years are measured on this planet is not specified to my knowledge). However, they are of ...
3
votes
2answers
523 views
Approximating mean daily and hourly temperature beyond Fourier series
Summary: What "well-known" and short parametrized mathematical
function describes daily and hourly temperature for a given location?
If you look at the mean daily temperature graph for a given ...
0
votes
1answer
117 views
Computing delta temperature based on radiation and heat loss
Is there a formula that gives me the instantaneous change in temperature under ideal circumstances? Details:
On a cloudless day, temperature is affected by two major things(?):
While the Sun is ...
7
votes
1answer
157 views
How do subgrid-scale parametrisations in climate models work?
Global Circulation Models typically have grids of 100-300km on a side. There are obviously lots of atmospheric processes that happen at smaller scales than this. Convection, cloud formation, the ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
Reference request: statistical inference with real world (chaotic) data, e.g. climate/weather data
I'm interested in the process that goes from, for example, huge data sets of temperature, pressure, precipitation etc readings to a model of the atmosphere. I'd like to know about how much relies on a ...
