I don’t want to belabor the point, but it’s important to realize that with a potent greenhouse effect, it is possible for radiative equilibrium to be associated with surface radiation far in excess of the wattage of absorbed solar radiation, and a correspondingly much higher temperature, all without violating any laws of physics. If someone doesn’t understand why this is so, he or she doesn’t understand the greenhouse effect. I do think the Pierrehumbert article is helpful in this regard. For anyone desiring a more sophisticated understanding, his 600+ page book is an excellent source.
↧