In my recent series, "Profiles in Malicious Deception", one of the main characters was the notion that Solar influences and Cosmic Rays somehow control cloud formation via "micro-physical effects". One Henrik Svensmark and other boosters of this notion go on to claim that clouds are the actual regulators of our planet's temperature, so we need not worry about the gigatons of CO2 we keep adding to our planet's atmospheric carbon cycle at ever faster pace.
It's quite irrational thinking, full of ignored non sequiturs and supported by nothing more than an absolutist self-certainty and ridicule towards all attempts at constructive debate, dialogue, or education.
I'd always intended to follow up with a good YouTube lecture of a scientist explaining the basics about clouds and their role in our global heat and moisture distribution engine. It took some effort to find and a while to finish my notes, it was worth it, since it makes a heck of a contrast to 1000frolly's presumptuous, insult dripping approach to explaining science. This man I enjoyed listening to. Taking notes was an enlightening process rather than the drag 1000frolly's video was. I've included my notes under his video.
This is what a scientist sounds like.
This is what a scientist sounds like.
Professor David Randall:
The Role of Clouds and Water Vapor
in Climate Change
in Climate Change
Uploaded on Apr 14, 2011
Dr. David Randall: Professor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
This lecture is part of SFU's 2011 global warming seminar series
"Global Warming: A Science Perspective".
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1:06 - Professor David Randall - Thanks very much for the introduction and for the invitation. I'm very happy to be here.
Outline of talk
1) Climate change on the back of an envelope
2) Climate models
2) Cloud and water vapor feedbacks
2:10 - Climate change on the back of an envelope.
Why do we think that more co2 wall make the climate warm up?
Is it because of trends in the observational record (correlation between temps and CO2)?
No. That is not the reason.
Is it because of computer climate models?
No. That is not the reason.
It is a lot simpler than that.
The climate system does what it does because it's heated.
There's a pattern of heating and cooling if you change the heating, you change the climate and this is basically why we expect a climate change in response to increasing greenhouse gases.
