International Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

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Return to Earth: A New Mathematical Model of the Earth’s Climate

Received: 21 March 2020    Accepted: 18 May 2020    Published: 08 June 2020
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Abstract

In this paper we use the inverse modelling technique, first applied to the atmosphere of the planet Venus, to demonstrate that the process of convective atmospheric mass motion can be invoked to explain the greenhouse effect of the Earth’s climate. We propose that the atmospheric cell is the fundamental element of climate, and have developed an alternative climate model based on this process of atmospheric circulation for a hypothetical tidally locked world. The concept of climate derives from studies by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who identified the three main climatic zones known to the ancient world; the equatorial torrid zone, the polar frigid zone and in between the favoured temperate zone of the Mediterranean world. Aristotle’s three climatic zones can be directly linked to the three main atmospheric circulation cells that we now recognise within the Earth’s atmosphere. These three cells are the Hadley cell, the Polar cell and the Ferrel cell. Based on the clear association between the traditional Greek concept of climate and the modern meteorological concept of atmospheric circulation cells, we propose that climate be defined as the presence and action of a particular circulation cell type within a given planetary latitudinal zone. We discuss how with knowledge of three simple meteorological parameters of tropopause elevation, tropopause temperature and lapse rate for each atmospheric cell, combined with the measurement of the area of that cell, the average global surface temperature can be calculated. By means of a mathematical model, the Dynamic-Atmosphere Energy-Transport (DAET) climate model we apply an individual climate analysis to each of the three atmospheric cells, and next generate a parallel composite model of the Earth’s planetary climate using these data. We apply the concepts and techniques of the adiabatic version of the DAET climate model, and show how this model can be compared with the published NASA image of the Earth’s outgoing long-wave radiation recorded by the CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) Instrument onboard the NASA Aqua Satellite. Our analysis of the CERES image suggests that the Tibetan plateau forms a permanent geological thermal radiant leak point in the Earth’s atmosphere. We also compare the observed temperature found at the maximum elevation of the Antarctic ice cap with the freezing point of super-cooled water, and suggest that there is therefore a temperature controlled and latent heat related upper limit to the vertical development of a continental icecap.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11
Published in International Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 2, December 2020)
Page(s) 36-53
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Atmospheric Cell, Climatology, CERES, Climate Model

References
[1] Rosenberg, M. 2020 "Temperate, Torrid, and Frigid Zones." ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020 https://www.thoughtco.com/temperate-torrid-and-frigid-zones-1435361.
[2] Persson, A. O., 2006. Hadley’s principle: understanding and misunderstanding the trade winds. History of meteorology, 3, pp. 17-42.
[3] Qian, W., Wu, K. and Liang, H., 2016. Arctic and Antarctic cells in the troposphere. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 125 (1-2), pp. 1-12.
[4] Wang, W. L., Wang, Y. and WU, R. S., 2005. A new view on the Ferrel cell. Chinese Journal of Geophysics, 48 (3), pp. 539-545.
[5] Mulholland, P., Wilde, S. P. R., 2020. An Inverse Climate Modelling Study of the Planet Venus. International Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Vol. 4, No. 1, 2020, pp. 20-35. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaos.20200401.13.
[6] Persson, A. O., 2005. The Coriolis Effect: Four centuries of conflict between common sense and mathematics, Part I: A history to 1885. International Commission on the History of Meteorology 2, 24pp.
[7] Simpson, G. C., 1928. Some Studies in Terrestrial Radiation. Royal Meteorological Society (London) Memoir, Vol II. No. 16, pp. 69-95.
[8] Kiehl, J. T and Trenberth, K. E., 1997. Earth’s Annual Global Mean Energy Budget. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 78 (2). pp. 197-208.
[9] Sagan, C. and Chyba, C., 1997. The Early Faint Sun Paradox: Organic Shielding of Ultraviolet-Labile Greenhouse Gases. Science, 276 (5316), pp. 1217–1221.
[10] Mulholland, P., Wilde, S. P. R., 2020. An Iterative Mathematical Climate Model of the Atmosphere of Titan. Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2020, pp. 15-28. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20200901.13.
[11] Beal, A., 2011. The Surface Area of a Sphere Between Parallel Planes. Online Blog. http://www.usrsb.in/The-Surface-Area-of-a-Sphere-Between-Parallel-Planes.html.
[12] Williams, D. R., 2019. Earth Fact Sheet. NASA NSSDCA, Mail Code 690.1, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771.
[13] Rubin, M. J., 1953. Seasonal variations of the Antarctic tropopause. Journal of Meteorology, 10 (2), pp. 127-134.
[14] Australian Antarctic Division 2008: Dome Argus http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/other-locations/dome-a.
[15] Mulholland, P., 2019a. Earth Adiabatic Parallel Model 20Jun19 Excel Workbook. Research Gate Project: Dynamic-Atmosphere Energy-Transport Climate Model.
[16] Mulholland, P., 2019b. Earth Adiabatic PVT Model 20Jun19 Excel Workbook. Research Gate Project: Dynamic-Atmosphere Energy-Transport Climate Model.
[17] Robinson, T. D. and Catling, D. C., 2014. Common 0.1 bar tropopause in thick atmospheres set by pressure-dependent infrared transparency. Nature Geoscience, 7 (1), pp. 12-15.
[18] American Vacuum Society (AVS) Atmospheric Pressure at Different Altitudes https://www.avs.org/AVS/files/c7/c7edaedb-95b2-438f-adfb-36de54f87b9e.pdf.
[19] Wanucha, G. 2014. The missing piece of the climate puzzle. MIT News http://news.mit.edu/2014/global-warming-increased-solar-radiation-1110.
[20] Damadeo, K. and Hanson, H. 2017. CERES Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System. NASA 9pp.
[21] Hunt, B. G., 1979. The Influence of the Earth's Rotation Rate on the General Circulation of the Atmosphere. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 36 (8), 1392-1408.
[22] Del Genio, A. D. and Suozzo, R. J., 1987. A Comparative Study of Rapidly and Slowly Rotating Dynamical Regimes in a Terrestrial General Circulation Model. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 44 (6), 973-986.
Author Information
  • Mulholland Geoscience, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

  • Mulholland Geoscience, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

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  • APA Style

    Stephen Paul Rathbone Wilde, Philip Mulholland. (2020). Return to Earth: A New Mathematical Model of the Earth’s Climate. International Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 4(2), 36-53. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11

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    Stephen Paul Rathbone Wilde; Philip Mulholland. Return to Earth: A New Mathematical Model of the Earth’s Climate. Int. J. Atmos. Oceanic Sci. 2020, 4(2), 36-53. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11

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    AMA Style

    Stephen Paul Rathbone Wilde, Philip Mulholland. Return to Earth: A New Mathematical Model of the Earth’s Climate. Int J Atmos Oceanic Sci. 2020;4(2):36-53. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11,
      author = {Stephen Paul Rathbone Wilde and Philip Mulholland},
      title = {Return to Earth: A New Mathematical Model of the Earth’s Climate},
      journal = {International Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences},
      volume = {4},
      number = {2},
      pages = {36-53},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaos.20200402.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaos.20200402.11},
      abstract = {In this paper we use the inverse modelling technique, first applied to the atmosphere of the planet Venus, to demonstrate that the process of convective atmospheric mass motion can be invoked to explain the greenhouse effect of the Earth’s climate. We propose that the atmospheric cell is the fundamental element of climate, and have developed an alternative climate model based on this process of atmospheric circulation for a hypothetical tidally locked world. The concept of climate derives from studies by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who identified the three main climatic zones known to the ancient world; the equatorial torrid zone, the polar frigid zone and in between the favoured temperate zone of the Mediterranean world. Aristotle’s three climatic zones can be directly linked to the three main atmospheric circulation cells that we now recognise within the Earth’s atmosphere. These three cells are the Hadley cell, the Polar cell and the Ferrel cell. Based on the clear association between the traditional Greek concept of climate and the modern meteorological concept of atmospheric circulation cells, we propose that climate be defined as the presence and action of a particular circulation cell type within a given planetary latitudinal zone. We discuss how with knowledge of three simple meteorological parameters of tropopause elevation, tropopause temperature and lapse rate for each atmospheric cell, combined with the measurement of the area of that cell, the average global surface temperature can be calculated. By means of a mathematical model, the Dynamic-Atmosphere Energy-Transport (DAET) climate model we apply an individual climate analysis to each of the three atmospheric cells, and next generate a parallel composite model of the Earth’s planetary climate using these data. We apply the concepts and techniques of the adiabatic version of the DAET climate model, and show how this model can be compared with the published NASA image of the Earth’s outgoing long-wave radiation recorded by the CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) Instrument onboard the NASA Aqua Satellite. Our analysis of the CERES image suggests that the Tibetan plateau forms a permanent geological thermal radiant leak point in the Earth’s atmosphere. We also compare the observed temperature found at the maximum elevation of the Antarctic ice cap with the freezing point of super-cooled water, and suggest that there is therefore a temperature controlled and latent heat related upper limit to the vertical development of a continental icecap.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
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    AB  - In this paper we use the inverse modelling technique, first applied to the atmosphere of the planet Venus, to demonstrate that the process of convective atmospheric mass motion can be invoked to explain the greenhouse effect of the Earth’s climate. We propose that the atmospheric cell is the fundamental element of climate, and have developed an alternative climate model based on this process of atmospheric circulation for a hypothetical tidally locked world. The concept of climate derives from studies by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who identified the three main climatic zones known to the ancient world; the equatorial torrid zone, the polar frigid zone and in between the favoured temperate zone of the Mediterranean world. Aristotle’s three climatic zones can be directly linked to the three main atmospheric circulation cells that we now recognise within the Earth’s atmosphere. These three cells are the Hadley cell, the Polar cell and the Ferrel cell. Based on the clear association between the traditional Greek concept of climate and the modern meteorological concept of atmospheric circulation cells, we propose that climate be defined as the presence and action of a particular circulation cell type within a given planetary latitudinal zone. We discuss how with knowledge of three simple meteorological parameters of tropopause elevation, tropopause temperature and lapse rate for each atmospheric cell, combined with the measurement of the area of that cell, the average global surface temperature can be calculated. By means of a mathematical model, the Dynamic-Atmosphere Energy-Transport (DAET) climate model we apply an individual climate analysis to each of the three atmospheric cells, and next generate a parallel composite model of the Earth’s planetary climate using these data. We apply the concepts and techniques of the adiabatic version of the DAET climate model, and show how this model can be compared with the published NASA image of the Earth’s outgoing long-wave radiation recorded by the CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) Instrument onboard the NASA Aqua Satellite. Our analysis of the CERES image suggests that the Tibetan plateau forms a permanent geological thermal radiant leak point in the Earth’s atmosphere. We also compare the observed temperature found at the maximum elevation of the Antarctic ice cap with the freezing point of super-cooled water, and suggest that there is therefore a temperature controlled and latent heat related upper limit to the vertical development of a continental icecap.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 2
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