h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The oceans are indeed carbon sinks. But Carbon emissions are well beyond what the earth can naturally absorb, and have been for a while. The heating is well documented.

Furthermore, there are some natural occurences which cause cooling- volcanic eruptions, for example. There have been several big ones since the industrial revolution, and so, the temperature should have dropped. Instead, it has increased. Thus leading the vast majority of scientists to concur that 'Global Warming' is caused by human interference in the climate via Carbon emissions.

Sorry, pixsky, but you're way out.

1) Gaseous carbon dioxide in the atmosphere forms an equilibrium with aqueous carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans. The more we put into the atmosphere, the more will dissolve. Simple.

Dissolved CO2 is used by aquatic creatures for making calcium carbonate shells, so a greater concentration of CO2(aq) just means they will proliferate.

2) In what way do volcanos cause global cooling?? They pump great quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, as well as an insulating layer of ash. One volcanic eruption contributes more to global warming than any amount of emissions.

3) The chief, primary contributor to global warming is not CO2. It can't possibly be, given the minute concentration in which it is present. The main enemy is atmospheric water, which - per molecule - has six times the warming effect of CO2. It gets pumped out in great quantities by aircraft. Simplest solution is to ban the jet engine, but no governments seem in a hurry to do that.

4) Like this long-departed researcher to whose space we have posted, I don't think that 20 years of evidence is enough to base any suppositions about human contribution to global warming. There was a spell in the Middle Ages where the average temperature was 5C above what it is now. 10,000 years ago, a blink of the eye in geological time, the whole planet was covered in ice. This planet is capable of doing much more powerful and dangerous things than we, the little insects that run about on it. The tsunami and Katrina have proved that very very well.

B