"Alastair McDonald" k wrote in
message ...

"Keith Dancey" wrote in message
...
In article , "Alastair McDonald"
k writes:

"Fears over increase in skin cancer as scientists report that climate
change
continues to destroy the earth's protection." See;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/scien...471075,00.html

This article provides confirmation to me that the ozone layer over the NH
could be the cause of this year's "cooler" spring.


How might reduced stratospheric ozone reduce tropospheric temperature?

Because the ozone is not trapping the radiation in the stratosphere, the
stratosphere is cooler. The stratosphere forms an inversion layer at the
tropopause and this temperature controls the average temperature at the
surface via a standard lapse rate.

Putting it another way, the tropopause temperature is the minimum temperature
of the troposphere. An ozone hole will reduce that minimum temperature and
so all the tropopause can become cooler.

Or, say, increased Solar UV penetration reduce surface temperature?

IMHO, The high energy photons of UV light tend to be absorbed by latent heat
and so cause little sensible heating.

And is this year's Northern Hemisphere spring and cooler than usual, anyway?

It is cooler than it would be due to global warming.


Alastair, what controls the average temperature at the surface is *not* the
tropopause temperature. It is due to a combination of radiation effects both
longwave and shortwave which in turn are non-linearly dependent on surface
characteristics (albedo etc), moisture, cloud cover and the concentration of
"greenhouse gases". A lower tropopause temperature would imply both a deeper
troposphere in tropical airmasses and a shallower troposphere in arctic
airmasses.

Will.
--

" Stuff the thought police, I don't care anymore, I am free, I am me - quack
quack "
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