ArticlePublisher preview available

An updated review about carbon dioxide and climate change

Authors:
Rex Fleming at Independent Researcher
Rex Fleming
  • Independent Researcher
Read publisher preview
Download citation
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the author.

Abstract and Figures

This manuscript will review the essence of the role of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere. The logic of CO2 involvement in changing the climate will be investigated from every perspective: reviewing the historical data record, examining in further detail the twentieth-century data record, and evaluating the radiation role of CO2 in the atmosphere—calculating and integrating the Schwarzschild radiation equation with a full complement of CO2 absorption coefficients. A review of the new theory of climate change—due to the Sun’s magnetic field interacting with cosmic rays, is provided. The application of this new theory is applied to climate-change events within the latter part of the Earth’s interglacial period. The application to the Earth’s Ice Ages is not detailed here due to manuscript size constraints, but is referenced for the reader. The results of this review point to the extreme value of CO2 to all life forms, but no role of CO2 in any significant change of the Earth’s climate.
Figures - available from: Environmental Earth Sciences
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
A preview of this full-text is provided by Springer Nature.
Learn more
Content available from Environmental Earth Sciences
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Vol.:(0123456789)
1 3
Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:262
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7438-y
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
An updated review aboutcarbon dioxide andclimate change
RexJ.Fleming1
Received: 18 December 2017 / Accepted: 20 March 2018 / Published online: 27 March 2018
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract
This manuscript will review the essence of the role of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere. The logic of CO2 involvement in chang-
ing the climate will be investigated from every perspective: reviewing the historical data record, examining in further detail
the twentieth-century data record, and evaluating the radiation role of CO2 in the atmosphere—calculating and integrating
the Schwarzschild radiation equation with a full complement of CO2 absorption coefficients. A review of the new theory of
climate change—due to the Sun’s magnetic field interacting with cosmic rays, is provided. The application of this new theory
is applied to climate-change events within the latter part of the Earth’s interglacial period. The application to the Earth’s Ice
Ages is not detailed here due to manuscript size constraints, but is referenced for the reader. The results of this review point
to the extreme value of CO2 to all life forms, but no role of CO2 in any significant change of the Earth’s climate.
Keywords Carbon dioxide· Climate change· Solar magnetic field· Cosmic rays· Chaos
Introduction
The climate of planet Earth involves many nonlinear pro-
cesses of the atmosphere, ocean, and other Earth sciences.
This document will review what is known about these pro-
cesses and explain an unfortunate misconception about cli-
mate change.
A specific definition of climate change is used to separate
the term from the tremendous diversity of weather condi-
tions that prevail on Earth. Climate change here implies the
average surface temperature of the Earth adjusting upward
or downward over a multi-year period (> 10-year). A signifi-
cant external force is required to make such a change, e.g., a
significant change in a solar property and/or a change in the
Earth’s albedo (the measure of how much the Sun’s energy
is reflected back into space).
Many believe and/or support the notion that the Earth’s
atmosphere is a “greenhouse” with CO2 as the primary
“greenhouse” gas warming Earth. That this concept seems
acceptable is understandable—the modern heating of the
Earth’s atmosphere began at the end of the Little Ice Age
in 1850. The industrial revolution took hold about the same
time. It would be natural to believe that these two events
could be the reason for the rise in temperature. There is now
a much clearer picture of an alternative reason for why the
Earth’s surface temperature has risen since 1850.
There is a thermal blanket or buffer for atmospheric sur-
face conditions that have been in existence for the past bil-
lion years—existing in all “climate-change regimes” (warm
or cold). Its exact form depends on the effective solar energy
reaching the Earth’s surface. The sources of the thermal
blanket and the subsequent transfer of heat upward are from
three forces: the Earth’s gravitational field with its impact
on convection, the condensation of water vapor (H2O), and
the radiation effects of the two primary atmospheric trace
gases of H2O and CO2. It will be demonstrated that the radia-
tive roles of H2O and CO2 are relatively minor, compared to
their far more important role in maintaining sustained life
on our planet.
The purpose here is to objectively examine every facet
of the CO2/climate-change issue. This will entail a review
of the historical record of climate change and that of the
twentieth-century warming relative to CO2 concentrations.
The appropriate radiation code for the Earth’s atmosphere
will be examined in far more detail than is typically exposed
in the scientific literature.
“The atmosphere and its extremely diverse weather”
section describes the Earth’s chaotic atmosphere and the
diversity of the weather produced. This chaotic weather
* Rex J. Fleming
rex@rexfleming.com
1 Global Aerospace, LLC, 7225 Spring Drive, Boulder,
CO80303, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... MIR LAS systems probe these fingerprints to sensitively and selectively detect and quantify trace amounts of greenhouse gases, pollutants, and toxic gaseous substances [2]. Among them, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) has the highest impact on climate change through radiative forcing [3], and its global concentration continues to increase every year. Monitoring variations in atmospheric CO 2 and its stable isotopes is crucial for understanding human impacts on the natural carbon cycles [4] and for refining climate models [5]. ...
Suspended nanophotonic waveguide for isotope-specific CO2 detection
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2024
The spectroscopic detection of gases and their stable isotopes holds significant value in bio-sciences and climate studies. However, achieving high precision has long been confined to bulky and costly equipment. In this work, we introduce a nanophotonic waveguide that is capable of detecting CO2{{\rm CO}_2} gas down to 20 parts per billion, and for the first time perform accurate stable isotope ratio measurements. The waveguide leverages a suspended membrane design with microstructured cladding, providing a high evanescent field confinement factor of 102%, moderate loss of 3.4 dB/cm, and effective suppression of etalons. The δ13C{\delta ^{13}}{\rm C} isotope ratio precision of 0.2‰ was achieved, replicating the performance of high-end laser absorption spectrometers. This marks the inaugural instance of on-chip, isotope-specific gas detection with a compact and cost-efficient system scalable to sensor networks.
View
... This revolution resulted in an increase in greenhouse gases from about 280 parts per million to 414 parts per million [3], as well as the occurrence of deforestation during the Industrial Revolution [4]. The climate change problem is caused by the increase in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which can be absorbed and transferred to the atmosphere, ocean, land, and biosphere for decades [5][6][7][8][9][10]. CO 2 increases air temperatures and causes the occurrence of abnormal precipitation year by year. ...
Investigation of Temperature, Precipitation, Evapotranspiration, and New Thornthwaite Climate Classification in Thailand
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2024
This study aims (1) to study the trend and characteristics of average annual air temperature (Tann), annual precipitation (Prann), and annual evapotranspiration (PETann) in Thailand over the present period (1987–2021) and (2) to extract the climate pattern in form of a map using the New Thornthwaite Climate Classification method in Thailand considering the present period. The data were prepared by the Thai Meteorological Department. Data variability, the mean of the data calculation in time series, the homogeneity test of data, and abrupt changes were examined. The trends of each variable were calculated using the Mann–Kendal and Sen’s slope test. The results indicated that the high Tann found in Bangkok gradually decreased in the next area. Tann data were heterogeneous with the abrupt change period, and increasing trends were found. Prann values were high in the west side of the southern area and the bottom area of the eastern area; in addition, low rainfall was found in the inner area of the land. Prann data were homogenous with no abrupt change period and slight changes in trends. PETann and %CV spatial distribution were determined for the same pattern of Tann. PETann data were heterogeneous with abrupt change periods and rising trends. The torrid thermal index determined based on the New Thornthwaite Climate Classification results indicated an overall torrid-type climate. A semi-arid climate pattern was found in the small area of the middle of Thailand, and then it shifted toward a moist-type pattern in the next area with an in precipitation. The most climate variability was found to be extreme with the power of temperature changes.
View
... This causes an increase in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), leading to an unstable climate, as well as a rise in the earth's temperature and sea level [2][3][4]. The research proved that CO2 emissions had made the biggest contribution to climate change [5][6][7]. However, fossil energy cannot be renewed, hence its availability decreases. ...
Renewable Energy in Indonesia: Current Status, Potential, and Future Development
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2023
The current use of fossil fuels has a significant impact on increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Subsequently, renewable energy is significantly needed to reduce GHG, thereby limiting the impact of extreme weather and climate while ensuring reliable, timely, and cost-effective supply. As a big country with a huge amount natural resource, the demand for renewable energy in Indonesia has increased along with the rise in consumption. Following this, energy consumption increased by 0.99%, which was approximately 939.100 million BOE in 2021 for biogas, oil, electricity, natural gas, coal, LPG, biodiesel, and biomass. Energy consumption in several sectors including transportation has the largest energy consumption with approximately 45.76% of oil. In industries and households sector, the consumption rates are 31.11% for boiler steam generation purposes and 16.89% for electricity as well as LPG. Furthermore, the commercial sector consumes 4.97% of energy for lighting and air conditioning, while the remaining 1.27% is used for other sectors. Meanwhile, Indonesia has high potential for renewable energy at 419 GW including 75 GW of hydro energy, 23.7 GW of geothermal, 32.6 GW of bioenergy, 207.8 GW of solar, 60.6 GW of wind, and 19.3 GW of micro-hydro. Therefore, the main focus of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of the current status, prospects, and information on Indonesia’s renewable and sustainable energy sources. Furthermore, the novelty of this research entails updating the latest data related to renewable energy and its availability in Indonesia. The essence is to portray a picture of its potential development in the future.
View
... The emission of greenhouse gases due to human activities and the resulting global warming have gained attention recently and will continue to increase. Increased carbon dioxide emissions is generally considered one of the leading causes of this human threat [9]. The response to this problem was initially centered on CO2 capture technologies (membranes, adsorption, and absorption) [10,11]. ...
Carbamoyl-Decorated Cyclodextrins for Carbon Dioxide Adsorption
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
Advances in materials science and technology have prompted researchers to look to nature for new high-performance, low-cost materials. Among these, cyclodextrins have been widely used as a material in industrial applications. Inspired by previous work by our research group that led to the functionalization of cucurbit[6]uryl and its conversion into supramolecular nanospheres with good CO2 adsorption capacity, this work aims to improve the ability of cyclodextrins to capture CO2 by functionalizing them with amide groups. Carbon dioxide adsorption experiments on functionalized cyclodextrins showed an adsorption capacity similar to that of BEA zeolite, a material currently used in the industry for gas adsorption. Moreover, these adsorption properties could also be exploited to improve the adsorption capacity of drugs, a field in which cyclodextrins are widely used. The new cyclodextrin molecules were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, thanks to which we could determine the degree of functionalization of the new macrocycles. In addition, using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, we demonstrated the presence and interaction of carbon dioxide adsorbed by the material, whereas an in silico study confirmed the chemisorption as the principal adsorption process, as experimentally inferred using the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model.
View
... However, according to the IPCC report, the anthropogenic forcing of climate is only attributed to radiative forcing, associated with the formation of atmospheric species that interfere with radiation absorption and emission (Stocker et al. 2013). The currently most widely accepted theory to explain global warming is the carbon dioxide theory, although alternative views have been put forward that question the weight of carbon dioxide emissions in global warming (Fleming 2018). ...
Heating Up the Planet – A Fresh Hot Look at Global Warming
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Aug 2022
Global warming is an inescapable phenomenon that seems to be unquestionably linked with Human activity, in particular with the way Humanity uses energy, and constitutes one of the most important challenges we are facing in the near future. The occurrence of global warming is being linked to the emissions of gases with a greenhouse effect, that is, gases that can trap heat in the atmosphere and, thus, induce an imbalance between the energy the Earth receives and the one that it is able to emit back into space. This imbalance induces an accumulation that is credited as responsible for the warming of the atmosphere. In this paper, we take a different view, based on a thermodynamic analysis, of the overall world’s energy production/consumption system and raise the issue that the warming of the atmosphere is likely to be affected by the energy system in more ways than this imbalance between energy intake and energy release due to the emissions of greenhouse gases and that it may be directly influenced by the generation and use of energy itself. The main conclusion that we reach from our calculations is that the amount of energy that is currently being produced on a global scale can actually make a significant contribution, if not the major contribution, to the current increase in atmospheric temperature.
View
... Therefore, scientists are seeking and implementing proper actions toward the excess CO 2 in the atmosphere (Fleming, 2018). ...
Comparative analysis and impact assessment on the electricity price of traditional carbon capture methods and that of direct precipitation of CO2 with the addition of Ca(OH)2 in the scope of a case study in Shenzhen.
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Oct 2022
With the dramatic increase in global temperature, carbon dioxide is one of the major culprits. Scholars are seeking ways to maintain or decrease the carbon emission level globally in modern days. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) addresses this issue, and mineralization of CCS turns out to be the most secure method because carbonate (CO3) produced out of mineralization is harmless and can be found in Earth crusts with abundance. Amine solutions are introduced to be incorporated into the CCS and can accelerate the conversion. However, the amine regeneration results in high operational costs and energy penalties in traditional methods. The addition of Ca(OH)2 can address this problem and has a conversion rate as high as 97.4%. This new method also makes fossil-fuel-based CCS more competitive. Future breakthroughs are still needed to make CCS cheaper and provide stable renewable energy supplies, enabling carbon neutrality to be more promising.
View
The effect of different process parameters on the flowability of modified magnesium-coal based solid waste carbon fixation backfill slurry rich in dicalcium silicate
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2024
  • ENVIRON EARTH SCI
In the context of the "dual carbon" goal, in order to solve the problem of high value utilization of modified magnesium and coal-based solid waste resources and efficient storage of carbon dioxide, CO2 gas was introduced into the modified magnesium-coal based solid waste backfill material under normal temperature and pressure conditions to prepare a new type of solid waste carbon fixation backfill material (CO2-MCSB). The preparation and flow performance study of CO2-MCSB provides a new technological approach combining solid waste resource utilization and CO2 storage, which can provide new theoretical references for solid waste backfill in mines. The effects of stirring rate, stirring time, and aeration rate on its fluidity and rheological properties were investigated through micro slump, rheological testing, and microstructure testing. The research results indicate that: (1) the slump range of freshly mixed CO2-MCSB slurry is 125 ~ 146 mm, and the expansion range is 9.5 ~ 39.5 cm, fully meeting the requirements of mine backfill fluidity. (2) The newly mixed CO2-MCSB slurry exhibits swelling fluid, and after ventilation, there is a significant thickening phenomenon, resulting in a significant decrease in flowability. (3) Microscopic analysis shows that the calcium carbonate generated by the carbonation reaction of the slurry after aeration fills the gaps, thereby increasing the probability of collision between internal particles and increasing the critical resistance for flow to begin. (4) There is a significant linear relationship between the flowability and rheological parameters of freshly mixed CO2-MCSB slurry, showing a negative correlation. (5) In the backfill application process, the stirring rate of 200 r/min, the aeration stirring time of 5 min, and the aeration rate of 5 L/min can be controlled to achieve good flow performance of CO2-MCSB.
View
Natural Climate Drivers Dominate in the Current Warming
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2023
Anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is the prevailing theory of the IPCC for global warming. Greenhouse (GH) gases are the major drivers, whereas albedo, aerosols, and clouds have had cooling effects, and natural drivers have an insignificant role (<0.8 %). According to Assessment Report 6 (AR6), these radiative forcings (RF) have been a total of 2.70 Wm-2 causing a temperature increase of 1.27 °C in 2019. Many research studies are showing significantly lower RF and climate sensitivity values for anthropogenic climate drivers. Research studies offering natural climate drivers as the partial or total solution for global warming have gradually emerged like solar radiation changes, cosmic forces, and multidecadal, century-and millennial-scale oscillations. The cloud effects are still a major concern in General Circulation Models (GCMs). The cloudiness changes have a major role in cosmic effects like magnifying the warming effect of the Total Solar Irradiation (TSI). The 60-and 88-year oscillations are the best-known oscillations, which are commonly known as AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation) and the Gleissberg cycle explaining the ups and downs of the global temperature in the 1900s. Mechanisms of long-term climate oscillations are still under debate. There are also essential differences between carbon cycle models and GH effect magnitude specifications. The synthesis of these natural climate drivers together with anthropogenic drivers constitutes an alternative theory called Natural Anthropogenic Global Warming (NAGW), in which natural drivers have a major role in dominating the warming during the current warm period. These results mean that there is no climate crisis and a need for prompt CO2 reduction programs.
View
Mechanism and anti-corrosion measures of carbon dioxide corrosion in CCUS: A review
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology is widely recognized as a key solution for mitigating global climate change. Consequently, it has received significant attention from countries worldwide. However, carbon dioxide corrosion poses a significant challenge to CCUS and represents a bottleneck to the large-scale development and application of this technology. To mitigate this issue, this review starts with a discussion of corrosion problems in CCUS. Later, the fundamentals of the carbon dioxide corrosion mechanism are introduced. Then, the influences of various factors that affect the corrosion are highlighted, such as water content, pH, flow rate, etc. Afterward, we summarize the commonly used methods for corrosion protection, with a particular focus on inhibitor, given their eco-friendly and effective nature. Lastly, challenges and prospects are discussed to motivate future studies on developing novel, high-performance green inhibitor and studying the corresponding protection mechanisms, hoping to make some contributions to carbon emission reduction.
View
View
Analysis of the SDE/Monte Carlo Approach in Studying Nonlinear Systems
Book
Full-text available
  • Jan 2015
Analysis of the SDE/Monte Carlo Approach in Studying Nonlinear Systems (and its use in understanding the atmosphere's strange attractor associated with explosive Baroclinic instability)
View
View
The Onset of the Little Ice Age
Chapter
  • Jan 2001
The Little Ice Age was a period several centuries long, within the last millennium, during which glaciers enlarged and their fronts oscillated about forward positions without retracting as far as the positions they occupied before the initial advance. The term refers to the behaviour of glaciers, not directly to the climatic circumstances that caused them to expand. It is required as a collective term for the advances of the last few centuries which left many distinctive traces in the landscape, especially in the form of moraine sets.
View
Group Sunspot Numbers: A new solar activity reconstruction
Article
  • Apr 1998
In this paper, we construct a time series known as the Group Sunspot Number. The Group Sunspot Number is designed to be more internally self-consistent (i.e., less dependent upon seeing the tiniest spots) and less noisy than the Wolf Sunspot Number. It uses the number of sunspot groups observed, rather than groups and individual sunspots. Daily, monthly, and yearly means are derived from 1610 to the present. The Group Sunspot Numbers use 65 941 observations from 117 observers active before 1874 that were not used by Wolf in constructing his time series. Hence, we have calculated daily values of solar activity on 111358 days for 1610-1995, compared to 66 168 days for the Wolf Sunspot Numbers. The Group Sunspot Numbers also have estimates of their random and systematic errors tabulated. The generation and preliminary analysis of the Group Sunspot Numbers allow us to make several conclusions: (1) Solar activity before 1882 is lower than generally assumed and consequently solar activity in the last few decades is higher than it has been for several centuries. (2) There was a solar activity peak in 1801 and not 1805 so there is no long anomalous cycle of 17 years as reported in the Wolf Sunspot Numbers. The longest cycle now lasts no more than 15 years. (3) The Wolf Sunspot Numbers have many inhomogeneities in them arising from observer noise and this noise affects the daily, monthly, and yearly means. The Group Sunspot Numbers also have observer noise, but it is considerably less than the noise in the Wolf Sunspot Numbers. The Group Sunspot Number is designed to be similar to the Wolf Sunspot Number, but, even if both indices had perfect inputs, some differences are expected, primarily in the daily values.
View
Overview of Atmospheric Convection
Article
  • Jan 1997
Winston Churchill’s description of Russia—a mystery inside a riddle, wrapped in an enigma—might equally apply to moist convection. Almost one hundred and fifty years have passed since James Pollard Espy [1] first correctly inferred that cumulus clouds are driven by the release of latent heat when water vapor condenses, yet very fundamental aspects of moist convection—for example, the profiles of temperature and water vapor in moist convecting atmospheres—remain poorly understood. A satisfying description of the ensemble and individual properties of convective clouds remains an elusive but compelling frontier in atmospheric research, and one with profound consequences for weather and climate prediction.
View
View
View
Explosive Baroclinic Instability
Article
  • Jun 2014
A low-order general circulation model contains all the elements of baroclinic instability, including differential heating to drive the mean zonal shear flow against dissipation. Simulations exhibit vacillation ending in fixed-point solutions and chaotic solutions with significant amplifications of the baroclinic cycles compared to those of vacillation. The chaos sensitivity to initial conditions, covering a broad landscape of initial values, demands analysis of why the chaos occurs and its impact on subsequent storm intensity. Three attractors found in the dynamic system are important. One attractor is the stable fixed-point solution—the ultimate destination of a vacillation trajectory. A second attractor represents an unstable zonal solution. Though this dynamic system is bound, some trajectories get extremely close to the unstable, but strongly attracting, zonal solution. It is while traversing such a trajectory that the buildup of available potential energy is such to allow subsequent explosive baroclinic instability to develop. The roots of the characteristic matrix of the dynamic system are examined at every time step. A single critical value of one of the roots is found to be the cause of the chaos for a given value of the differential heating H. The system becomes more stable with increased values of H; vacillation is stronger and more prominent, and the critical value for chaos increases with H. When chaos does occur, it is stronger and more explosive.
View
Solar Dynamo Theory
Article
  • Aug 2014
The Sun's magnetic field is the engine and energy source driving all phenomena collectively defining solar activity, which in turn structures the whole heliosphere and significantly impacts Earth's atmosphere down at least to the stratosphere. The solar magnetic field is believed to originate through the action of a hydromagnetic dynamo process operating in the Sun's interior, where the strongly turbulent environment of the convection zone leads to flow-field interactions taking place on an extremely wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Following a necessarily brief observational overview of the solar magnetic field and its cycle, this review on solar dynamo theory is structured around three areas in which significant advances have been made in recent years: (a) global magnetohydrodynamical simulations of convection and magnetic cycles, (b) the turbulent electromotive force and the dynamo saturation problem, and (c) flux transport dynamos, and their application to model cycle fluctuations and grand minima and to carry out cycle prediction.
View
Long-term solar variability by cosmogenic isotopes
Article
The Sun is a variable star. However, the existing observational records of solar variability are by far too short to explore the degree of variability in solar activity in general and solar irradiance in particular. In recent years, cosmic ray produced isotopes such as 10 Be and 14 C proved to be useful tools to extend these records considerably and to improve our understanding of the physical processes linking Sun and Earth.
View