Earth’s Albedo:
•At the uppermost atmosphere, the energy density of solar radiation is approx. 1,368 W/m2 (watts/square metre)
•At the Earth's surface, the energy density is approx. 1,000 W/m2 (UTIA, 2020)
•That is, the Albedo reflects approx. 30% (300+ W/m2) of the solar radiation (Perkins, 2019)
•The total anthropogenic radiative forcing for 2011 relative to 1750 is 2.3 W/m2 (uncertainty range 1.1 to 3.3 W/m2) (IPCC, 2014, Figure 1.4).
•That is, an increase of the reflectivity of the Albedo of less than 4%, will negate the heating effects due to all of the greenhouse gas emissions between years 1750 and 2011.
•At the uppermost atmosphere, the energy density of solar radiation is approx. 1,368 W/m2 (watts/square metre)
•At the Earth's surface, the energy density is approx. 1,000 W/m2 (UTIA, 2020)
•That is, the Albedo reflects approx. 30% (300+ W/m2) of the solar radiation (Perkins, 2019)
•The total anthropogenic radiative forcing for 2011 relative to 1750 is 2.3 W/m2 (uncertainty range 1.1 to 3.3 W/m2) (IPCC, 2014, Figure 1.4).
•That is, an increase of the reflectivity of the Albedo of less than 4%, will negate the heating effects due to all of the greenhouse gas emissions between years 1750 and 2011.
Questions:
•What is the current change in reflectivity due to orbital debris?
•What is the threshold debris level at which change in reflectivity is significant against global warming?
History of impact of Albedo changes:
•Ice age conditions in the mid-Ordovician (~460 Ma) were triggered by the LCPB (L-chondrite parent body) asteroid breakup
•sea level fall related to global cooling triggered by the dust from the LCPB breakup.
•cooling is to be expected if the amount of extra-terrestrial dust in the atmosphere for several 100 ka or longer increases by more than three orders of magnitude (Schnitz et al., 2019).
•What is the current change in reflectivity due to orbital debris?
•What is the threshold debris level at which change in reflectivity is significant against global warming?
History of impact of Albedo changes:
•Ice age conditions in the mid-Ordovician (~460 Ma) were triggered by the LCPB (L-chondrite parent body) asteroid breakup
•sea level fall related to global cooling triggered by the dust from the LCPB breakup.
•cooling is to be expected if the amount of extra-terrestrial dust in the atmosphere for several 100 ka or longer increases by more than three orders of magnitude (Schnitz et al., 2019).
