Why do GW skeptics keep blaming water vapor?

Question

Yes water vapor accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, but GW skeptics always conveniently forget to suggest what causes an increase in atmospheric water vapor. Water vapor doesn't just magically pop into the atmosphere - something has to cause its concentration to increase. So what do you suggest it is?

Here's an explanation that makes sense to me.

"Current state-of-the-art climate models include fully interactive clouds. They show that an increase in atmospheric temperature caused by the greenhouse effect due to anthropogenic gases will in turn lead to an increase in the water vapor content of the troposphere, with approximately constant relative humidity...thus water vapor acts as a positive feedback to the forcing provided by human-released greenhouse gases such as CO2."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas#The_role_of_water_vapor

So why do GW skeptics keep trying to dismiss CO2 as a greenhouse gas and instead blame water vapor?

jim z, please go here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApKvie5J_.B1pnQlT7eTH0fsy6IX?qid=20070604111016AAytIOp

Answer 1

No global warming skeptic "blames" water vapor and not CO2. We have studied the data that shows that water vapor accounts for about 95% of the greenhouse effect and that CO2 has a much smaller effect.

We are trying to point out that we don't know fully the effect of CO2 or any other natural process without consider them ALL.

This is the problem with an open system such as the Earth, it is very difficult to account for all the factors that effect climate and even more difficult to measure that effect in a computer model.

"Climate prediction uncertainties depend on uncertainties in both models and the future course of industrial growth and technology (which is currently the largest unknown) (see IPCC scenarios below). Progress has been made in incorporating more realistic physics in the models, but significant uncertainties and unknowns remain"

Or how about this gem:
"According to the IPCC, the majority of climatologists agree that important climate processes are imperfectly accounted for by the climate models but don't think that better models would change the conclusion. Scientists point out that there are specific flaws in the models, such as albedo errors, and external factors not taken into consideration such as possible indirect solar effects mediated through cosmic rays that could change the conclusion above"

Answer 2

The problem is that the models and reality are different. The troposphere doesn't have the expected warming. You can do anything you want with those models. What are their use if they don't reflect reality. The importance with water vapor is that the effect totally overwhelms CO2 so that without prediction of water vapor, there can be no accurate prediction of future climate. There are many other unknowns. You have swallowed the Kool Aid that CO2 is the most important thing in regulating climates and that human caused CO2 is the main cause of our recent warming. How is that there was a cool period from 1940 to 1970s. I always harp on that because I think it destroys your arguments. You need to reexamine your religion and learn skepticism. It is an important scientific tool.

Answer 3

I think GW skeptics have a problem understanding the "balance" of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect is not a completely bad thing. Without the greenhouse effect, our planet would be a frozen wasteland like Mars.

The issue is the -balance- of greenhouse gases, and when that balance gets out of whack, we, the inhabitants of the planet, must do something to reduce those gases.

But, I'd like to hear from these skeptics. Optimistically speaking, the skeptics help motivate more research on our environment and global warming.

Answer 4

probably because it is convienient to over-look more facts, like hmmmm lets see...
-water vapor absorbes heat energy, to become vapor.
-that vapor rises and the energy with it.
-it releases the energy, condenses and falls back to the ground.
its called rain.
it actually regulates temperature rather than trapping heat.

Answer 5

co2 is worse than water vapor

Answer 6

your a retard. You can't possible "model the climate". Do you know why smartguy? Because there are way to many factors to put into a computer. every single one of those dumb models has not stood up to critics. Even algore admits that. Quit talking about them. They are not right and can't predict a thing about global warming. They use models to predict weather ONE day away and get it wrong tons. So now your putting your faith into a model trying to predict years from now, thats really smart.