Tag: carbon dioxide

[def from Wikipedia.]  Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2) is a colorless and odorless gas that is vital to life on Earth. This naturally occurring chemical compound is made up of a carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide exists in Earth’s atmosphere as a trace gas at a concentration of about 0.04 percent (400 ppm) by volume.[3] Natural sources include volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, and it is freed from carbonate rocks by dissolution in water and acids. Because carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it occurs naturally in groundwater, rivers and lakes, in ice caps and glaciers and also in seawater. It is present in deposits of petroleum and natural gas.

[added comments] While carbon dioxide is a “greenhouse” gas and it does absorb energy in some infrared wavelength bands, many scientists will argue that its affect on average global temperatures have been considerably exaggerated by the proponents of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming.  In order to derive effects extreme enough to be considered catastrophic, they have had to rely on strong positive feedback resulting in much larger effects than CO2 could produce without any feedbacks.  Many prestigious scientists disagree with that and some even suspect the feedback is not only much less than estimated, but may even be negative.

One must always consider that contrary to that which is frequently stated by climate activists/alarmists, the debate is never over in science.

Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS) with a Doubling of CO2

by Bernie McCune

[Note:  This post is based on a presentation by Bernie McCune given at the 16 March 2019 meeting of the Cruces Atmospheric Sciences Forum in Las Cruces, NM. Ed.]

It has been 40 years this year since the Charney Report was published with a number of proposals for what CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere from http://blog.friendsofscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-willie-soon-tarot-card-part-9-156x300.jpghuman sources would likely do to global surface temperatures or so-called anthropogenic global warming.  Similarly, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed about that same time to determine the effects of human activity on global temperature.

Over the next few decades a large number of models (at least 73) were developed to show what these effects might be and terms for the models were devised.

Two of these terms, Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS) and Transient Climate Response (TCR), were developed.  The ECS was the term that Continue reading “Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS) with a Doubling of CO2”

An evening lecture with Alarmist Katharine Hayhoe

By Robert W. Endlich

Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University, New Mexico’s Land-Grant college.  When I attended my first of the NMSU Climate Change Education Seminar Series presentations, I found that it’s funded by Climate Alarmist Senator Tom Udall, (D-NM). A news release announced the 6 Feb 2019 lecture guest presenter was Katharine Hayhoe, from Texas Tech.

I had previously istened to Dr. Hayhoe on NPR’s broadcast of The Commonwealth Club, supposedly non-partisan,  anything but,  and

Typical university lecture hall. Source unknown.

heavy into the gloom and doom climate alarmist narrative, as I previously noted here.

The topic for her 6 Feb 2019 lecture was, “Barriers to Public Acceptance of Climate Science, Impacts, and Solutions.”

Katharine Hayhoe presents an earnest, wholesome, almost rural and folksy image such as this one from the Guardian, showing smiling Katharine with the windmill in the background.

To prepare for attending Dr Hayhoe’s lecture, I watched one of her previous Continue reading “An evening lecture with Alarmist Katharine Hayhoe”

A Book Review as a learning and teaching tool, John Kehr’s “An Inconvenient Skeptic.”

 reviewed by Robert W Endlich
Penguins on Iceberg near Antarctica. Photo courtesy of mundyadventures.co.uk

Several years ago, I purchased a Kindle copy of John Kehr’s book, “An Inconvenient Skeptic,” breezed through it, copied several graphics, and thought, “this is pretty good; it might make the beginnings of a presentation someday.”

Couple of weeks ago Bernie McCune emailed; had previously penciled in doing the January 2019 meeting presentation, found he’d be unable. With no others having a topic ready to go, “someday” arrived the day I got that email from Bernie.

I busied myself capturing images from the book, showing seasons, geography, and useful information on temperature, measurements, and historic temperatures.

Setting the table a bit more, this post takes the form of a book report, such as on the jacket of a hardcover. Real learning and teaching Continue reading “A Book Review as a learning and teaching tool, John Kehr’s “An Inconvenient Skeptic.””

A Critique of the Fourth National Climate Assessment

By Robert W. Endlich

In describing the errors in the Fourth National Climate Assessment, ‘NCA4’, I’ll use the words from the Executive Summary which purport to link climate changes in the USA to global climate change.

Photo by Pixabay

The first claim, “The last few years have also seen record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes,“ is shown to be false, simply by examining climate records, some from the National Climate Data Center.

Tornadoes have been decreasing over the past six decades as temperatures moderate from the significant cooling of the 1940s to 1970s.  As a basic knowledge of meteorology teaches, it is the pole to equator temperature difference that drives the intensity of cold Continue reading “A Critique of the Fourth National Climate Assessment”

Drought, Climate, Elephant Butte Water Storage

and the future of water storage for the lower Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.
By Robert W. Endlich
Elephant Butte Dam and Landscape in New Mexico. Photo by U.S. Army Corps

Laura Paskus’ 3-part series on the current drought, its effects on farmers and residents, and the coming US Supreme Court decision, starts with a question, ”Elephant Butte is at 3 percent capacity; what happens next?” Let me introduce measurements, missing from Paskus’ series: Elephant Butte Lake levels, temperature, rainfall, and climate patterns. My analysis: nothing in the current meteorological/climatological situation is worse than the past century. History and study show that either water availability must increase, or water costs will increase.

Paskus’ sense of alarm with recent Elephant Butte Reservoir capacity falling to 3% implies impending catastrophe, but historic data show frequent episodes where the reservoir capacity in the 1950s, 60s and Continue reading “Drought, Climate, Elephant Butte Water Storage”