Increased Carbon Dioxide Shown to Reduce Water Vapor in Earth’s Atmosphere
Scientists have found that an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reduces transpiration and overall evapotranspiration in all biomass. As a consequence, the overall amount of water vapour in the atmosphere is reduced. 
The findings are published in ‘CO2 and Temperature Effects of Evapotranspiration and Irrigated Agriculture,’ (Jorge A. Ramfrez and Bryce Finnerty). [1]
The authors found that the result of lowering atmospheric water vapour is to buffer the “positive feedback” of supposed global warming. Conventional climate science has for decades believed that rising atmospheric CO2 causes rises in global temperature. But global thermometer readings and satellite data proves no increase in temperatures for nearly twenty years despite a substantial increase in atmospheric CO2 levels during the same period.
Most climate scientists had believed that more CO2 in the climate system causes a positive feedback i.e. rises in temperature. Typically, their thesis is that:
“The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere exists in direct relation to the temperature. If you increase the temperature, more water evaporates and becomes vapor, and vice versa. So when something else causes a temperature increase (such as extra CO2 from fossil fuels), more water evaporates. Then, since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, this additional water vapor causes the temperature to go up even further-a positive feedback.” [2]
However, findings by independent scientists (outside the realms of politicized government climate science) and involved in researching plant evapotranspiration, supports earlier peer-reviewed scientific research from the 1980’s that flies the face of positive feedback meme. There is now a growing recognition of a body of evidence telling us that the global biomass of plants significantly impacts evapotranspiration and changes in planted environment directly impact climate.
In a 1983 study into vegetal species by Kimbal (1983) published in ‘Carbon Dioxide Fertilizing Effects on Plant Biomass production and Water-Use Efficiency’ showed that, “ A doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentrations increased biomass production by an average of 33{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} in the vegetal species.” [3]
While another study found that, “Both forest and agricultural species have been shown to double water use efficiency under a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. “(Rogers et al 1983.)
Moreover, “…. the reduction in transpiration caused by an increase in stomatal resistance results in a cumulative decrease in evapotranspiration.” (Morison and Gifford 1984.)
Meanwhile, the journal Nature reports on the Scott Jasechko paper which shows that 60{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} of atmospheric water normally comes from plants. Indeed this is shown to be the norm for atmospheric water everywhere. In the past century, while there has been about a 40+{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} increase in CO2, there appears to have been less transpiration – which is in the range of 10{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} – 20{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117}.
On this basis it would seem that since plants contribute 60{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} of the moisture to the air “the present day high and rising CO2 has eliminated 6{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117}-12{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} of the moisture being lost by dryland grasses,” say scientists. [4]
These findings are now being considered afresh by skeptics of the supposed ‘greenhouse gas theory’ that promotes the supposed CO2 global warming link. The ‘theory’ has been under increased attack in the scientific community for being overly simplistic, if not outright false. It now appears that previously unconsidered extraneous effects in our planet’s complex system that might otherwise lead to climate change are naturally being buffered by nature’s plant biomass.
************
[1] Ramírez, J. and Finnerty, B. (1996). ”CO 2 and Temperature Effects on Evapotranspiration and Irrigated Agriculture.” J. Irrig. Drain Eng., 122(3), 155–163.
[2] http://www.skepticalscience.com/water-vapor-greenhouse-gas.htm
[3] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01351.x/full
[4] http://russgeorge.net/2013/04/24/co2-promotes-ground-cover/
Trackback from your site.