Thermal processes affected by carbon dioxide near ground surface

Abstract

This study provides penetrative investigation of the effects of carbon dioxide concentration on time-dependent temperature and energy fluxes on the ground surface subject to solar irradiation. While global warming significantly impacts human life, the factors responsible remain controversial. This work considers unsteady one-dimensional heat conduction and radiative heat transfer, including collimated and diffuse components as functions of longitude, latitude, and altitude. Diffuse radiation depends on the different absorption bands of carbon dioxide and water vapor, as functions of wavelength, temperature, concentrations or pressure. The predicted results using COMSOL computer code show that the effects of carbon dioxide concentration on ground surface temperature are negligibly small, for example, over a 5-year period. Time-dependent ground surface temperature strongly depends on the absorption or dissipation of diffuse radiation and heat conduction. Diffuse radiation has a damping effect on temperature variation. Temperature changes due to solar irradiation absorption in the atmosphere are also negligibly small, despite solar irradiation being much greater than diffuse radiation and heat conduction. The absorption or dissipation of diffuse radiation depends on the dominant absorption bands centered at 4.3 and 15 μm of carbon dioxide at different times. This study, from the viewpoint of energy conservation, identifies diffuse radiation as a critical factor influencing the rate of temperature change at the ground surface, without assuming radiative or thermal equilibrium or modeling convection. Poor management of this radiation would hinder efforts to avoid droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, catastrophic storms, and biodiversity loss.

Keywords

• Global warming
• Climate change
• Greenhouse effects
• Carbon dioxide
• Radiation transfer
• Heat conduction