NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans

[웃 910]

NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans

January 31, 2012

A new NASA study tries to lay to rest the skepticism about climate change, especially vocal this year on the GOP presidential campaign trail. It finds, like other major scientific research, that greenhouse gases generated by human activities -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary cause of global warming.

NASA researchers updated calculations of the Earth's energy imbalance, which is the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. They found that despite unusually low solar activity between 2005 and 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy (half a watt more per square meter) than it returned to space during that time period.

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"This provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming," said James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who led the research released Monday.

In the Wall Street Journal's opinion page Monday, 16 scientistssigned a piece arguing there's no need for drastic action to "decarbonize" the world's economy. "Perhaps the most inconvenient fact is the lack of global warming for well over 10 years now," they wrote without providing data.

The Hansen-led study, published in the December issue ofAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics, said the magnitude of the Earth's energy imbalance is fundamental to climate science. If the imbalance is positive and more energy enters the system than exits, the Earth warms. If the imbalance is negative, the planet cools.

The researchers concluded that the 0.58 watts per square meter imbalance implies that carbon dioxide levels need to be reduced to about 350 parts per million to restore the energy budget to equilibrium. They say the most recent measurements put CO2 levels at 392 parts per million and those concentrations are expected to keep rising.

Scientists have been refining calculations of the Earth's energy imbalance for years, but NASA researchers say their newest estimate is an improvement because they had access to better measurements of ocean temperature.

http://content.usato...tly-by-humans/1

Edited January 31, 2012 by ☠

[Obama 2012 1,714]

wait wait wait, so they say "lower" solar activity in 2005-2010 when in 2004 the sun had its highest activity in 8,000 years?

Cmon now... So the YEAR after the highest activity we have horrible weather patterns including Katrina and it's the end of the world after this 8,000 year high. Then for the 5 years following, it's lower than usual, and the extreme weather wasn't bad at all.

Now here in 2011/12 the sun is more active than usual again, but it's "man" who is at fault for everything.

I love the hilarity in all of this!

It's like a horrible magic show where you can see the magician switch the cards right in front of you.