Explain how increasing the carbon dioxide content of air contributes to Global Warming?

Question

If the average standard composition of air worldwide is as follows (in parts per million) how can adding another 30% of carbon dioxide warm the atmosphere??? Since there is so little of it to begin with???

Nitrogen  780, 805 parts per million;
Oxygen    209, 450;
Argon           9, 340;
Carbon Dioxide       380;
Neon                   18.2;
Helium                  5.24;
Krypton                 1.14;
Hydrogen              0.50;
Xenon                    0.087;








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Bob · Accepted Answer

There is a natural "carbon cycle" which recycles carbon dioxide.  But it's a delicate balance.

We're messing up that balance by digging up carbon the natural cycle buried over a very long time, and burning it really fast.  That overwhelms the natural process.

You can see it clearly in this carefully measured data.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

The small teeth are the natural cycle in operation.  CO2 goes down a little during the summer, when plants are active, and up a little in the winter.  The huge push upwards is us burning fossil fuels.  

We've messed up the natural system and we need to fix that.

justin_at_shr · Answer

A small amount has a large effect. The only gases listed above that has a direct influence on the atmospheric energy balance are oxygen and carbon dioxide. The warming effect created by carbon dioxide far outweighs upper atmospheric ozone. Radiative-Convective Models display it's potential.
The basic equation goes as such:
A very simple model of the radiative equilibrium of the Earth is

    (1 â a)SÏr2 = 4Ïr2esT4

where

    * the left hand side represents the incoming energy from the Sun
    * the right hand side represents the outgoing energy from the Earth, calculated from the Stefan-Boltzmann law assuming a constant radiative temperature, T, that is to be found, and
    * S is the solar constant - the incoming solar radiation per unit area - about 1367 WÂ·m-2
    * a is the Earth's average albedo, measured to be 0.3
    * r is Earth's radius — approximately 6.371Ã106m
    * Ï is well known, approximately 3.14159
    * s is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant — approximately 5.67Ã10-8 JÂ·K-4Â·m-2Â·s-1
    * e is the effective emissivity of earth, about 0.612
However greenhouse gases lower effective emissivity. The only other major atmospheric component that influences the global energy budget is oxygen (in water vapor) and that is included in the albedo effect.

Professor Armitage · Answer

Carbon dioxide traps the heat in the earth's atmosphere and does not let it escape into space as other types of gases do.

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Explain how increasing the carbon dioxide content of air contributes to Global Warming?

3 Answers