The
U.S. Standard Atmosphere 1976 long ago explained why the Earth's surface temperature is 33K warmer than the Earth's radiative temperature as seen from space. The reason is the effect of gravity acting on the atmosphere. It takes a very corrupt mind to supplant this long-known explanation with a greenhouse gas explanation using highly faulty physics concepts to create a looming catastrophe from nothing. The essence of the proper explanation was known long ago to James Clerk Maxwell even. The U.S. Standard Atmosphere went through several refinements. These were the standard tables of 1958, 1962,1966, and 1976 as a collaboration between NOAA, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force. Soon after the last refinement, James Hanson began the great greenhouse gas fraud.
An improved version of this post has been submitted for publication in a book, so this post had to be removed. The book,
soon to be published, is:
Thanks for your post, I read it while it was available and it was really interesting. The problem of the temperature distribution of a gas under the force of gravity is really mindboggling. I found the following passage in an old book on the history of statistical mechanics entitled "The kind of motion we call heat":
ReplyDelete"...According to Herapath, the force of gravity by itself produces a temperature variation in a vertical column of air, namely a decrease of about 1 F for every 100 yards increase in height above the earth's surface (assuming perfectly dry air); the 'total altitude of the air' would thus be approximately 31 miles, if it terminates when the temperature has dropped to absolute zero.
Herapath's work was refused publication by the Royal Society of London but seems to have had ample publicity through its appearance in several issues of the Annals of Philosophy...."
Today we know that the atmosphere extends to much higher altitudes than 31 miles and that the temperature is stratisfied above approximately 11 km altitude. However, the problem formulated back then is almost forgotten today. The only prevailing theory for the drop in temperature with altitude is the "greenhouse effect", but the latter is never mentioned in the physics literature.
Since i presume you have much more knowledge than me in experimental physics I have a question I would like to here your opinion on.
Postulating an isothermal column of air, the density decreases according to the barometric formula. However, the barometric formula holds in an infinite space domain which means that we can consider the air to move freely in space and even have a remote but theoretical possibility to reach the surface of the moon if some molecules are given sufficient kinetic energy. Now suppose that you stand on the surface of the moon with a thermometer. Formally you are still in the atmosphere of the earth but what temperature will you measure?
In other words, have you thought about the CRITICAL DENSITY, when our thermometers no longer give an accurate measure of the temperature of the gas. This question is somewhat philosophical so don't hesitate to speculate, I'm just curious to hear somebody else's opinion about this.
Regards
Anders