The Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climatic Change

Abstract

The most recent calculations of the infra-red flux in the region of the 15 micron CO 2 band show that the average surface temperature of the earth increases 3.6° C if the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere is doubled and decreases 3.8° C if the CO 2 amount is halved, provided that no other factors change which influence the radiation balance. Variations in CO 2 amount of this magnitude must have occurred during geological history; the resulting temperature changes were sufficiently large to influence the climate. The CO 2 balance is discussed. The CO 2 equilibrium between atmosphere and oceans is calculated with and without CaCO 3 equilibrium, assuming that the average temperature changes with the CO 2 concentration by the amount predicted by the CO 2 theory. When the total CO 2 is reduced below a critical value, it is found that the climate continuously oscillates between a glacial and an inter-glacial stage with a period of tens of thousands of years; there is no possible stable state for the climate. Simple explanations are provided by the CO 2 theory for the increased precipitation at the onset of a glacial period, the time lag of millions of years between periods of mountain building and the ensuing glaciation, and the severe glaciation at the end of the Carboniferous. The extra CO 2 released into the atmosphere by industrial processes and other human activities may have caused the temperature rise during the present century. In contrast with other theories of climate, the CO 2 theory predicts that this warming trend will continue, at least for several centuries. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1956.tb01206.x