If there was more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, would the temperature be hotter or colder?

Answer 1

Hotter. CO22 acts like a clear blanket around the Earth. It lets sunlight through, then traps the heat the sunlight generates.

Water - How's this one?

Meehl, G.A., W.M. Washington, C.A. Ammann, J.M. Arblaster, T.M.L. Wigleym and C. Tebaldi (2004). "Combinations of Natural and Anthropogenic Forcings in Twentieth-Century Climate". Journal of Climate 17: 3721-3727

"The late-twentieth-century warming can only be reproduced in the model with anthropogenic forcing (mainly GHGs), while the early twentieth-century warming is mainly caused by natural forcing in the model (mainly solar)."

And this site dissects most of the opposing arguments;

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn11462

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide is considered as one of the gases responsible for global warming.It is also one of the gases causing greenhouse effect as it is a good absorber of terrestial radiation(long wave radiation emitted by the earth's surface).So it traps the heat near the earth's surface thereby not allowing to escape into the space.Moreover it absorbs the incoming Infra-red radiation also thereby heating the atmosphere.
So the temperature will increase if more carbon dioxide are available in the atmosphere.

Answer 3

You have touched on one of the hot topics that is being debated right now.

The research is not as conclusive as some would like you to believe. (my opinion) but there is respectable evidence that it does increase temperatures.

The problem that bothers me, is what portion of the global warming increase that is currently being observed (Temperatures at this moment are still within the 10,000 year distribution as we currently know it and our basic observations only go back about 150 years.) are due to the increase in CO2? I don't have an answer for that question, but, would like to know it.

I know what various climatic models show, but I am very suspicious of many of the models and how they were developed.

I am still waiting for research to come up with a good, peer reviewed, study using a model developed by people with no ax to grind.

Answer 4

Personally, I think it would be colder if there is more carbon dioxide and more trees. Because the trees would take in CO2 and give out more oxygen which makes the air cooler.

I'm confusing you, right? Just forget about it. I don't know.

Answer 5

hotter....carbon dioxide is what is contributing to greenhouse gases...which builds a smoke barrier and does not allow the suns heat to leave the earth...making it hotter