Publication Abstracts

Lacis et al. 2010

Lacis, A.A, G.A. Schmidt, D. Rind, and R.A. Ruedy, 2010: Atmospheric CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature. Science, 330, 356-359, doi:10.1126/science.1190653.

Ample physical evidence shows that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the single most important climate-relevant greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere. This is because CO2, like ozone, N2O, CH4, and chlorofluorocarbons, does not condense and precipitate from the atmosphere at current climate temperatures, whereas water vapor can, and does. Non-condensing greenhouse gases, which account for 25% of the total terrestrial greenhouse effect, thus serve to provide the stable temperature structure that sustains the current levels of atmospheric water vapor and clouds via feedback processes that account for the remaining 75% of the greenhouse effect. Without the radiative forcing supplied by CO2 and the other non-condensing greenhouse gases, the terrestrial greenhouse would collapse, plunging the global climate into an icebound Earth state.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{la09300d,
  author={Lacis, A. A and Schmidt, G. A. and Rind, D. and Ruedy, R. A.},
  title={Atmospheric CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature},
  year={2010},
  journal={Science},
  volume={330},
  pages={356--359},
  doi={10.1126/science.1190653},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - la09300d
AU  - Lacis, A. A
AU  - Schmidt, G. A.
AU  - Rind, D.
AU  - Ruedy, R. A.
PY  - 2010
TI  - Atmospheric CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature
JA  - Science
JO  - Science
VL  - 330
SP  - 356
EP  - 359
DO  - 10.1126/science.1190653
ER  -

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