Summary: TEHRAN (FNA)- New research suggest that regions of the Martian surface could be made habitable with a material -- silica aerogel -- that mimics Earth's atmospheric
greenhouse effect. Through modeling and experiments, the researchers show that a 2- to 3-centimeter-thick shield of silica aerogel could transmit enough visible light for photosynthesis, block hazardous ultraviolet radiation, and raise temperatures underneath permanently above the melting point of water, all without the need for any internal heat source.
In his 1989 book The
Greenhouse Effect he wrote: "The profligate demands of humankind are causing far reaching changes to the atmosphere of planet Earth, of this there is no doubt.
The oil giant commissioned a 1988 report titled "The
Greenhouse Effect" that calculated that the Shell group alone was contributing 4 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions through its oil, natural gas and coal products.
Through the
greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases warm the climate by reducing the energy loss to space.
But above the optimum level,
greenhouse effect is being strengthened as human activities add more of these gases to the atmosphere, resulting in a shift in the Earth's equilibrium.
"We're not saying the
greenhouse effect is rubbish," says study coauthor Justus Notholt, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Bremen in Germany.
A good article to draw attention to is "
Greenhouse Effect and the IR Radiative Structure of the Earth's Atmosphere" by Ferenc Miskolczi in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2010).
This study investigated 438 Year 10 students (15 and 16 years old) from Western Australian schools, on their understanding of the
greenhouse effect and climate change, and the sources of their information.
As the atmosphere warms it can hold more moisture, which acts as a positive feedback signal, increasing the
greenhouse effect. However, in the cold Arctic where there is less moisture in the air, this positive feedback is much weaker hence the 'direct'
greenhouse effect is smaller in the Arctic than elsewhere.
A second great hope of the denialist crowd was also punctured recently: A weaker sun over the next century will not counteract the
greenhouse effect, much less usher us into a new ice age.