The Greenhouse Theory of Climate Change: A Test by an Inadvertent Global Experiment

@article{Ramanathan1988TheGT,
  title={The Greenhouse Theory of Climate Change: A Test by an Inadvertent Global Experiment},
  author={Veerabhadran Ramanathan},
  journal={Science},
  year={1988},
  volume={240},
  pages={293 - 299}
}
  • V. Ramanathan
  • Published 1988
  • Environmental Science, Medicine
  • Science
Since the dawn of the industrial era, the atmospheric concentrations of several radiatively active gases have been increasing as a result of human activities. The radiative heating from this inadvertent experiment has driven the climate system out of equilibrium with the incoming solar energy. According to the greenhouse theory of climate change, the climate system will be restored to equilibrium by a warming of the surfacetroposphere system and a cooling of the stratosphere. The predicted… Expand
View on AAAS
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
326 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
14
Background Citations
71
Methods Citations
3
Results Citations
2

326 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

The greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect on the Earth is identified by the difference between the effective radiating temperature of the planet and its surface temperature. The difference between the energy emitted by… Expand
Chapter 9 – The greenhouse effect of trace gases
This chapter discusses the enhanced greenhouse effect associated with increasing greenhouse gases with focus on the potential climate change in the next few decades. The first section provides a… Expand
Global Climate Change due to Radiatively Active Gases
There are many factors, both natural and human related, that are influencing the Earth’s climate. Of these factors, there is particular concern about the potential changes to climate that may be… Expand
CO2 condensation and the climate of early Mars.
  • J. Kasting
  • Environmental Science, Medicine
  • Icarus
  • 1991
TLDR
A one-dimensional, radiative-convective climate model was used to reexamine the question of whether early Mars could have been kept warm by the greenhouse effect of a dense, CO2 atmosphere, and alternative mechanisms for warming early Mars and explaining channel formation are discussed. Expand
Contaminants affecting the Arctic climate, and the role of the oceans
Abstract We are increasingly impressed with the idea that the climate system must be treated globally, and, by the same token, most contaminants affecting the Arctic and its climate have global… Expand
The Volcanic Contribution to Climate Change of the Past 100 Years
Abstract Volcanic eruptions which inject large amounts of sulfur-rich gas into the stratosphere produce dust veils which last several years and cool the earth's surface. At the same time these dust… Expand
Mankind’s Greenhouse Effect: Is It Already Here?
The addition to the atmosphere of infrared-absorbing (greenhouse) gases by the activities of mankind is changing the composition of the atmosphere, and theory tells us that this must cause a global… Expand
Trends in Global Distribution of Trace Gases Inferred from Polar Ice Cores
Human activities have caused large increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4 and N2O since ~ 1800, and chlorofluorocarbons since 1950. The prediction of future climate depends largely on… Expand
CO2-induced global warming: a skeptic\'s view of potential climate change
Over the course of the past 2 decades, I have analyzed a number of natural phenomena that reveal how Earth's near-surface air temperature responds to surface radiative perturbations. These studies… Expand
Thermal response of the active layer to climatic warming in a permafrost environment
Abstract Global warming is occurring, the only question is what will be the magnitude of the temperature change and the temporal and spatial distribution? Existing models predict that the greatest… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 38 REFERENCES
Climate Model Simulations of the Equilibrium Climatic Response to Increased Carbon Dioxide (Paper 6R0726)
The first assessments of the potential climatic effects of increased CO2 were performed using simplified climate models, namely, energy balance models (EBMs) and radiative-convective models (RCMs). A… Expand
Climate-chemical interactions and effects of changing atmospheric trace gases
The problem concerning the greenhouse effects of human activities has broadened in scope from the CO2-climate problem to the trace gas-climate problem. The climate effects of non-CO2 trace gases are… Expand
A doubled CO2 climate sensitivity experiment with a global climate model including a simple ocean
The sensitivity of a global climate model to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations is presented, assessed, and compared with earlier studies. The ocean is represented by a 50-m slab in which the… Expand
Analytical solution for the effect of increasing CO2 on global mean temperature
Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is expected to cause substantial changes in climate1. Recent model studies suggest that the equilibrium warming for a CO2 doubling (Δ T2×) is about… Expand
Greenhouse Effects due to Man-Made Perturbations of Trace Gases
TLDR
A one-dimensional radiative-convective model for the atmospheric thermal structure is used to compute the change in the surface temperature of the earth for large assumed increases in the trace gas concentrations; doubling the N2O, CH4, and NH3 concentrations is found to cause additive increases inthe surface temperature. Expand
Trace Gases and Other Potential Perturbations to Global Climate (Paper 5R0835)
We review the various natural and anthropogenic factors that may affect the climate. The purpose is to summarize our understanding of these factors and their potential future climatic effects so that… Expand
Future global warming from atmospheric trace gases
Human activity this century has increased the concentrations of atmospheric trace gases, which in turn has elevated global surface temperatures by blocking the escape of thermal infrared radiation.… Expand
Climatic impact of explosive volcanic eruptions
Major explosive volcanic eruptions inject ash and gas into the upper atmosphere, producing aerosol layers which can affect the global energy balance and climate1. Empirical studies have shown that… Expand
Scenarios of possible changes in atmospheric temperatures and ozone concentrations due to man's activities, estimated with a one-dimensional coupled photochemical climate model
A one-dimensional coupled climate and chemistry model has been developed to estimate past and possible future changes in atmospheric temperatures and chemical composition due to human activities. The… Expand
Tropospheric ozone and climate
Analysts1 a the observed tropospheric ozone distribution has revealed that concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere were heger titan in the Southern Hemisphere. This finding and the earlier… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
...