If global warming is so straight-forward, how come the atmosphere is not warming up?

Question

although average global SURFACE temperatures have been increasing, even before industrialisation, atmospheric temperatures have stayed strangely unaffected....why?

Answer 1

well the atmosphere is actually warming up. it does not mean that you will suffocate of the heat tomorrow but the temperature of our planet is increasing. the increase is not that significant to us but the problem is that its causing the ice in the poles to start melting. this results in changing the salty composition of the oceans which is crucial to maintain the climate balance on the planet. its also going to result in areas being flooded by sea water.

such drastic effects are beginning to happen only because 1-2 Celcius increase in temperature. so its not going to be a straighf forward effect in the sense that you will wake up tomorrow and suffocate from the heat.

Answer 2

Well, maybe  you should watch

"THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW"

...OR..

*wink*

watch the weather channel.

Answer 3

Global warming is not measured in degrees, rather in parts of a degree.  The atmosphere has in fact been warming, over the last century and continues to do so.  It is more telling to see how the ecology and flowers and animals are responding to the change.

Answer 4

Because...global warming...as it has been mis-represented by Al Gore and his cronies...does not exist.

Global warming and global cooling are both part of a natural cycle of climatic change.  We are now in an 'upswing' part of that natural cycle.  

It was only about 30 years ago that global cooling was the big disaster cry,shouted by the same alarmist "scientists" that are now screaming about the impending doom by heat.

It's all a money/power grab by politicians and the insanely rich who wish to have even more money than they now have.

Answer 5

It is warming up; it is you who have not noticed.

Answer 6

The upper atmosphere is warming up. I have no idea where you got the idea it isn't. Please provide evidence supporting this claim.

Answer 7

Global warming is not so straight-forward. It is very complicated and is effecting the entire earth in ways that are difficult to measure and predict.

Answer 8

The lower atmosphere has warmed up.  The higher reaches have cooled down.

The basic reason is simple.  Global warming warms the surface of the Earth and most effectively warms the lower atmosphere.

In the upper atmosphere, there's another warming mechanism that's been damaged by man.  Ozone absorbs UV light, as you know.  When it does that, it turns the UV into heat.  Damage to the ozone layer is reducing that high up heat input.

Some heat comes up from the lower atmosphere, of course.  It's just not enough to cancel out the effect due to the loss of ozone up high.

This actually has serious implications for weather.  The change has increased the difference between temperatures down low and temperatures up high, known as stratification.  That can cause damaging weather.

Good book about all this, "The Weather Makers".

http://www.amazon.com/Weather-Makers-Cha...

And a great detailed analysis of what's going on (CO2 plays a role, too, blocking heat from radiating from the lower atmosphere to the upper) here:

http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/20c.ht...

The data for global warming is a lot more straightforward than all the theories discussed here, without data,

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Ima...

Answer 9

itis somehwere else,and it gets colder and more rain elsewise,

Answer 10

the actual change is small, but over a period time, without any change to our current way of life, it will begin to affect our daily lives (i.e.-stronger storms, hotter/colder extremes, smaller crop yields, increase in skin cancers)

Answer 11

The answers given shows how misinformed the public is to global warming.  According to the theory, if the warming is caused by greenhouse gases, temperatures should be rising at a faster rate in the atmosphere than on the ground.  

That is only logical.  Greenhouse gases keeps the warm air from leaving the earth.  Hot air stays on top, colder air on the bottom.  So the higher up you go in the atmosphere, the warmer the air should be.  But that is not happening.  Ground temperatures are rising at a faster rate than air temperatures. This suggest it is not greenhouse gases that is heating up the earth.

Answer 12

because when they say global warming, they really mean that the average temps are going up degree by degree.  its not like we are going to live in a 100 degree environment for the rest of our lives.  it just means that the average temps are rising, enough to melt the polar ice caps, thus creating more and more water on the earth.  if there is too much water, there will be no more land, making it impossible to survive.  but that is no where in the near future or even in our lifetime.

Answer 13

I think you get enough information in high school chemistry to dispel the global warming myth.  With gravity the earth acts almost like a closed system.  The total of all the partial pressures should line up.  They really don't for any period of time.  The math involved is not that hard.  But even if your math skills are low, you can eyeball the data and see the problem with the claim.