Re: atmospheric blanket / greenhouse effect

[Larry Woolf <larry.woolf@GAT.COM>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John S. Denker
> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 6:00 AM
> Subject: Re: atmospheric blanket / greenhouse effect

> On 07/27/2003 10:44 PM, Larry Woolf wrote:
> > See also the Bad Meteorology site by Craig's buddy, Alistair Fraser:
> > http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadGreenhouse.html
> > http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadFAQ/BadGreenhouseFAQ.html

> The Bad Greenhouse page says the surface is warm because of
> radiation received from the atmosphere.

No. It actually says:
"The surface of the Earth is warmer than it would be in the absence of an
atmosphere because it receives energy from two sources: the Sun and the
atmosphere."

On the associated
> FAQ page it says the atmosphere radiates "because it has a
> temperature".

Not really.  That answer states:
"The Earth’s atmosphere emits because it has a temperature, not because it
received energy in the form of radiation from the Sun. If the Sun were
turned off (as, effectively, it is every night), the Earth’s atmosphere
continues to emit."

The point of the answer is to indicate that the earth's atmosphere emits
energy (back to earth and out to space).

> It is contemptuous of questions about where
> the atmosphere got its energy.

The FAQ site states:
"So, how is the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere maintained in the face
of all of the energy it is emitting in the form of radiation (to both the
Earth’s surface and to space).The answer, of course, is that it is receiving
energy, mainly from below via radiation, latent heat, and convection.
(Incidentally, while our atmosphere receives some energy directly from the
Sun, most comes from elsewhere: below)."

This is hardly being contemptuous of where the atmosphere gets its energy.

One needs to differentiate a complete and complex answer to one that
addresses a prevailing misconception in a manner accessible to students and
teachers, providing a first step towards a more complete and complex answer.

As noted at: <http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/BadScience.html>
This page is maintained by Alistair B. Fraser in an attempt to sensitize
teachers and students to examples of the bad science often taught in
schools, universities, and offered in popular articles and even textbooks.

It is aimed at a certain audience and at addressing a prevailing
misconception. As such, it does a fairly nice job.