The Influence of Heat Source IR Radiation on Black-Body Heating/Cooling with Increased CO2 Concentration

Abstract

This study deal with interactions between thermal and radiative energy flow in experimental situations of varying complexity. Of special interest is how IR energy, re-emitted from CO 2 gas, behaves in an earth/atmosphere simulated setup. Such an experiment was performed by Hermann Harde and Michael Schnell where they show that IR radiation emitted from CO 2 can warm a small black-body metal plate. In a control experiment, we verified this result. However, in their experiment, the amount of IR radiation from the heating element was strongly attenuated. In a modified experiment, where IR emission from the heating source is present, no heating but a slight cooling of a black object is found when air is replaced by CO 2 . The modified experimental situation is also more like the earth/atmosphere situation. The presence of IR radiation from a heated surface (like when the sun heats the earth ’ s surface) strongly attenuates the heating ability of increasing backscatter from increased amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere. This result has consequences for the climate change models used by IPCC.