Increases in greenhouse forcing inferred from the outgoing longwave radiation spectra of the Earth in 1970 and 1997

被引:118
作者
Harries, JE [1 ]
Brindley, HE [1 ]
Sagoo, PJ [1 ]
Bantges, RJ [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, Blackett Lab, Space & Atmospher Phys Grp, London SW7 2BW, England
关键词
D O I
10.1038/35066553
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
The evolution of the Earth's climate has been extensively studied(1,2), and a strong link between increases in surface temperatures and greenhouse gases has been established(3,4). But this relationship is complicated by several feedback processes-most importantly the hydrological cycle-that are not well understood(5-7). Changes in the Earth's greenhouse effect can be detected from variations in the spectrum of outgoing longwave radiation(8-10), which is a measure of how the Earth cools to space and carries the imprint of the gases that are responsible for the greenhouse effect(11-13). Here we analyse the difference between the spectra of the outgoing longwave radiation of the Earth as measured by orbiting spacecraft in 1970 and 1997. We rnd differences in the spectra that point to long-term changes in atmospheric CH4, CO2 and O-3 as well as CFC-11 and CFC-12. Our results provide direct experimental evidence for a significant increase in the Earth's greenhouse effect that is consistent with concerns over radiative forcing of climate.
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页码:355 / 357
页数:3
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