OT: Horizon - Global Dimming/Warming

The theory behind the program, that more sunlight is reflected, due to
(sulphate) aerosols is proven false.

As you may know, we have some satellites flowing around out of the
atmosphere, which measure reflected sunlight (SW reflection) and heat
(LW emission) from below.

For the (sub)tropics, in the period 1985-2001 the amount of sunlight
reflected by clouds reduced with ~2 W/m2. (see:
http://www.atmos.ucla.edu/csrl/publications/pub_exchange/Wielicki_et_al_2002.pdf
, confirmed for the 30N-30S (sub)tropics in
http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2002/2002_ChenCarlsonD.pdf )

In the same period, there was a loss of cloud cover, both in the
tropics and sub tropics (and even up to 60N-60S).

If there is global dimming at the surface, the only explanation
possible is that more sunlight is retained in the atmosphere. Which is
(only) possible with (dark brown and black) soot particulate.

If soot particulate is to blame, then a reduction of them would have a
cooling effect, not a warming effect!

See also the amount of reflected sunlight from earth on the moon
("eartshine"), which parallels the "global dimming" trend, while it
should have opposite trends, at:
http://www.bbso.njit.edu/science_may28.html

Ferdinand

> If there is global dimming at the surface, the only explanation
> possible is that more sunlight is retained in the atmosphere. Which is
> (only) possible with (dark brown and black) soot particulate.
>
> If soot particulate is to blame, then a reduction of them would have a
> cooling effect, not a warming effect!

Which is what I understood the program to have expalined, it was the soot
and general pollution in the atmosphere actually cooling things down by
absorbing/reflecting sunlight by creating clouds that are more dense than
those naturally created and the greenhouse gases that were adding to global
warming.

Now that we're on an enviromental crusade to reduce all the soot and
pollutants in the atmosphere we're accelerating global warming as we haven't
done enough to also reduce emmissions of greenhouse gasses.

As I understood the Horizon program (and I'm no scientist) you've basically
described the same situation occuring but you theory of where the loss in
sulight has gone differs slightly but with the same outcome.

Whenever I watch these I always take them with a pinch of salt, as at one
time the most intelligent people on the planet told us the Earth was flat.
And a large proportion of the scientific results are conjecture, it still
makes an interesting program though.

I miss QED though.....wish they'd bring that back.

Alan M.