Abstract
In this paper we quantify and attribute by inspection the constituent elements of the power intensity radiant flux transmission for the atmosphere of the Earth, as recorded in the following two published sources; Oklahoma Climatological Survey and Kiehl and Trenberth. The purpose of our analysis is to establish the common elements of the approach used in the formulation of these works, and to conduct an assessment of the two approaches by establishing a common format for their comparison. By applying the standard analysis of a geometric infinite series feed-back loop to an equipartition (half up and half down) diabatic distribution used for the atmospheric radiant flux to all elements of the climate model; our analysis establishes the relative roles of radiant and mass-motion carried energy fluxes that are implicitly used by the authors in their respective analyses. Having established the key controls on energy flux within each model, we then conduct for the canonical model a series of “what-if” scenarios to establish the limits of temperature rise that can be achieved for specific variations in the controls used to calculate the global average temperature. Our analysis establishes that, for the current insolation and Bond albedo, the maximum temperature that can be achieved for a thermally radiant opaque atmosphere is a rise to 29°C. This global average temperature is achieved by a total blocking of the surface-to-space atmospheric window. In order to raise the global average atmospheric temperature to the expected value of 36°C for a putative Cretaceous hothouse world, it is therefore necessary to reduce the planetary Bond albedo. The lack of continental icecaps, and the presence of flooded continental shelves with epeiric seas in a global eustatic high stand sea level, is invoked as an explanation to support the modelling concept of a reduced global Bond albedo during the Cretaceous period. The geological evidence for this supposition is mentioned with reference to published sources.
Highlights
In this paper we quantify and attribute by inspection the constituent elements of the power intensity radiant flux transmission recorded in two published sources; Oklahoma Climatological Survey [1] and the canonical paper Kiehl and Trenberth [2].The following two figures, showing the principal features of the Earth’s Energy Budget, were published in 1997 by the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, and are reproduced here with kind permission [1].Both of these diagrams when combined provide detailed energy budget information for the Earth’s climate; their parameters are recorded as percentages of solar illumination at the top of the atmosphere (TOA)
Items recorded as percentages of the intercepted solar beam Incoming Solar Radiation Scattered Upward by Air Reflected Upward by Clouds Reflected Upward by Surface Insolation Absorbed by Gases and Dust Insolation Absorbed by Clouds Absorbed at Surface (Direct and Indirect) Surface radiation Surface Sensible Heat Flux Surface Latent Heat Flux Surface IR Radiation (Atmospheric Window Loss) Emission by Atmosphere (Implied Value) Emission by Clouds (Latent Heat Flux) Totals
Having established that the canonical model incorporates a process of equipartition flux recycling in the atmosphere, and that this recycling applies to both the radiant energy flux and to the air and water mass motion fluxes, we apply the same process of analysis to the OK First diagrams
Summary
The following two figures, showing the principal features of the Earth’s Energy Budget, were published in 1997 by the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (hereafter OK First), and are reproduced here with kind permission [1] Both of these diagrams when combined provide detailed energy budget information for the Earth’s climate; their parameters are recorded as percentages of solar illumination at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). Neither diagram published by OK-First records the actual values of solar power intensity, nor is it demonstrated how they can be used to estimate the global average temperature for the surface of the Earth, something that has been shown by us to be achievable using basic climate budget data [3]. In 1997 the solar irradiance used was 1368 W/m2, and so this value is used here to give the most appropriate match to this historic paper [2]
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