water vapor in our atmosphere absorbs infrared lightstrongly in the wavelengths

Question

water vapor in our atmosphere absorbs infrared lightstrongly in the wavelengths between 4000 and 7000 nm and CO2 between 13000 and 19000 nm. Assuming the Earth absorbs and emits radiation as a blackbody and that its rotation results in a uniform surface temperature, develop a planetary energy balance and calculate the mean Earth surface temperature (in K)for the following three cases: 1) zero atmospheric CO2, and 2) a sufficiently large amount of H2O such that all radiation between 4000 and 7000 nm is absorbed by the atmosphere and half is re-emitted towards theEarth, and 3) the same assumption regarding water as in case 2 plus a sufficiently large amount of CO2 such that all radiation between 13000 and 19000 nm is absorbed by the atmosphere and half is re-emitted towards the Earth.

Explanation / Answer

1) The ability for CO2 to warm the surface of a planet through the absorption of infrared radiation is well known. What is much less appreciated, however, is just how effective of a gas it is in maintaining the greenhouse framework that helps to characterize the modernclimate.

such a hypothetical removal of all the CO2 in the air would translate into a global cooling of about 2.5 degrees, presumably in Celsius

B)

The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere exists in direct relation to the temperature. If you increase the temperature, more water evaporates and becomes vapor, and vice versa.

consider is that water is evaporated from the land and sea and falls as rain or snow all the time. Thus the amount held in the atmosphere as water vapour varies greatly in just hours and days as result of the prevailing weather in any location. So even though water vapour is the greatest greenhouse gas, it is relatively short-lived.

3)

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