Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927) was a Swedish scientist and first to proclaim in 1896 that fossil fuels could lead to or accelerate global warming. He established a relationship between concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature. He also determined that the average land surface temperature is 15 oC due to the ability of infrared radiation absorption of water vapor and carbon dioxide. This is called the natural greenhouse effect.
Arrhenius suggested that a double concentration of CO2 gas would cause a temperature increase of 5 oC. He along with Thomas Chamberlin estimate that human activities could cause an increase in temperature by adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
This research was carried out in line with a major investigation on whether carbon dioxide could explain the processes of melting ice (large glaciations) on earth. This does not take place until 1987.After the discovery of Arrhenius and Chamberlin forgot the topic for a while. At this time it was thought that the influence of human activities were insignificant compared to natural forces such as solar activity, circulatory movements in the ocean. It is also assumed that the oceans were great collectors or carbon sinks that automatically cancel the pollution produced by man. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas considered most influential.
In 1940 there were developments in measurements of longwave radiation by infrared spectroscopy. At this time it was found that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to increased absorption of infrared radiation. It was also found that water vapor absorbs radiation different than carbon dioxide. Gilbert Plass summarizes these results in 1955. He concludes that the addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere captures the infrared radiation that would be lost to the external atmosphere and space, causing overheating of the earth.
The argument that the oceans would absorb most of the carbon dioxide remained intact. However, in 1950 found insufficient evidence that carbon dioxide had an atmospheric lifetime of 10years. Also, do not yet know what would happen to a molecule of carbon dioxide when dissolved in the ocean. Could it be that the retention capacity of carbon dioxide by the oceans was limited, or carbon dioxide released into the air again after some time. Research was conducted would show that the oceans were not carbon sinks for atmospheric CO2 around. Only a third of anthropogenic CO2 can be retained by the oceans.
credit to: M. Maslin
photo source: www.environment-green.com
