Physicist Richard Feynman Discredits Greenhouse Gas Theory
The great physicist Richard Feynman adds to three other giants of physics, Maxwell, Clausius, and Carnot, who have explained the “greenhouse effect” is solely a consequence of gravity, atmospheric mass, pressure, density, and heat capacities, and is not due to “trapped radiation” from IR-active or ‘greenhouse’ gas concentrations.
In his paper Feynman gives his thought experiment example (Feynman clearly states in the 6th paragraph it is “in thermal equilibrium – unlike our atmosphere”). Feynman explicitly states in that same paragraph that this thought experiment is “without the winds and other kinds of disturbance,” including CONVECTION, which as he later shows completely dominates radiative-convective equilibrium. Thus discrediting the supposed Co2-focused radiative greenhouse gas effect.
Feynman begins to explain in the 7th paragraph and for the remainder of the entire paper why our atmosphere (and he only assumes the atmosphere is comprised of non-greenhouse gases N2 & O2) “is not an isothermal atmosphere” due to the thermodynamic work done by gravity upon all gases.
Only one 33C greenhouse theory can be correct, either the 33C Arrhenius radiative greenhouse theory (the basis of CAGW alarm and climate models) or the 33C Maxwell/Clausius/Carnot/Feynman gravito-thermal greenhouse effect, since if both were true, the surface temperature would be an additional 33C warmer than the present. As we have previously shown, the Arrhenius greenhouse theory confuses the cause (gravito-thermal) with the effect (radiation from greenhouse gases).
In addition, the US Standard Atmosphere, the International Standard Atmosphere, the HS ‘greenhouse equation,’ Chilingar, et al derive the observed atmospheric temperature profile without use of a single greenhouse gas radiative transfer equation or calculation, and using the same basic atmospheric physics discussed by Feynman in his lecture below.
Feynman does not make a single mention of radiation, radiative transfer, greenhouse gases, CO2, nor does he derive any radiative transfer equations to derive the atmospheric temperature profile, and instead utilizes the barometric and statistical mechanics formulas necessary to describe the gravito-thermal greenhouse effect of Maxwell et al (who Feynman quotes extensively below).
Feynman demonstrates that the conservative force of gravity does indeed do continuous thermodynamic Work upon the atmosphere (a common false argument by those who do not accept the gravito-thermal GHE theory is that gravity allegedly can’t do Work upon the atmosphere), and describes gravitational potential energy (PE) accumulated as air parcels rise/expand/cool, which is then exchanged for kinetic energy (KE) as the air parcel descends/compresses/warms, creating the temperature gradient & greenhouse effect.
Link for online reference to International Standard Atmosphere.
Read more at hockeyschtick.blogspot.co.uk
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[Principia Scientific International’s observation: What is actually interesting is that Feynman DOES acknowledge that our atmosphere is not in thermal equilibrium, and that therefore the subsequent derivations do not truly apply to our atmosphere – what is interesting is that this is what all textbooks do! We have read Feynman’s exact presentation in numerous textbooks and worked through the exact same derivations and Feynman got them from whoever he was taught from and whatever textbook he was using. In physics we all like to learn the “ideal” situation, but then we seem to forget that we acknowledged that the situation we derive doesn’t actually apply. Our atmosphere is not in thermal equilibrium].
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