Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00077)

Dear Friends,
Though I believe that the cosmic energies will take care of us, this may be of interest to the scientifically minded in the group.
Cass

Scientists: Earth's Energy Is Imbalanced

By Kirk L. Kroeker
May 1, 2005 3:17PM 

"The energy imbalance is an expected consequence of increasing atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and black carbon particles," said Jim Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. 



Scientists have concluded that more energy is being absorbed from the sun than is emitted back to space, throwing the Earth's energy out of balance and warming the globe. 
Scientists from NASA , Columbia University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory used satellites, data from buoys and computer models to study the Earth's oceans. They came to the conclusion about the energy imbalance by measuring increasing ocean heat content over the past 10 years. 
The study reveals Earth's energy imbalance is large by the standards of the planet's history. 
According to the research, the imbalance is 0.85 watts per meter squared. That amount will cause an additional warming of 0.6 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit) by the end of this century. 
To understand the difference, think of a one-watt light bulb shining over an area of one square meter (10.76 square feet). Although it doesn't seem like much, adding up the number of feet around the world creates a big effect. 

"The energy imbalance is an expected consequence of increasing atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and black carbon particles," said Jim Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. 
"These pollutants block the Earth's heat radiation from escaping to space, and they increase absorption of sunlight," he said. Hansen is the lead author of the new study, which is published in this week's Science magazine. 
The research suggested that if there were no further increase of human-made gases in the air, the climate still would continue to warm over the next century. 
Warmer worldwide temperatures also affect other things. "Warmer waters increase the likelihood of accelerated ice sheet disintegration and sea level rise during this century," Hansen said. 
Since 1993, scientists have measured sea levels with satellite altimeters. Data has shown the levels have risen by approximately 3.1 centimeters or 1.26 inches per decade. 
Although 3.1 centimeters is a small change, the rate of increase is twice as large as in the preceding century. The researchers suggested that continued monitoring of ice sheets and sea levels is necessary to ensure the system is in balance. 

source:http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Scientists__Earth_s_Energy_Is_Imbalanced&story_id=33966#story-start





Warmest Regards, 
Paul Bader 
Atlantean Records 



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