At 12:59 AM 5/12/2007, you wrote:
>The only way to radiate more energy (as a very rough approximation to
>a black-body radiator) is to radiate it from a hotter source - hence
>the planet MUST warm up if it is to radiate the excess energy being
>generated at the surface.
>
>If we suspect that this is an undesirable situation, we must STOP
>RELEASING SO MUCH ENERGY. Ideally we will do this by being more
>efficient and not wasting it, but the fact remains that in the end it
>will raise the temperature ON AVERAGE. This is where Australia, as a
>amall buttechnologically smart country, can help significantly BY
>REDUCING WASTING ENERGY AND MAKING THE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO ALL.
Fortunately it is easy to set your mind at rest.
Assuming the Earth is a black body radiator (it's not but we need a
first approximation) and the numbers on human energy use are that
currently it is around one part in ten thousand of the incoming solar
energy it is easy to calculate the new equilibrium temperature.
New temp is old temp multiplied by the fourth root of the the ratio
1.0001 (bodies radiate energy according to the fourth power of the
absolute temperature)
Assuming an old temp of 288 degrees kelvin this gives a new
equilibrium temperature of 288.0072 degrees Kelvin so in Celcius the
temp goes from 15 deg C to 15.0072 deg C.
Increase human energy use by a factor of ten and the rise is .072 deg
C - less than 0.1 deg. There is some considerable argument about the
actual average surface temperature of the Earth and it is generally
assumed to be in the range of 14 to 15 deg C which puts the alleged
0.7 deg measured warming in perpective.
The assumption is also that all the human energy use ends up as heat
eventually.
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
Int'l + 61 429 355784
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
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