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An upper limit to global surface air temperature

Ein oberer Grenzwert der globaen Lufttemperatur an der Erdoberfläche

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Summary

Several empirical studies of Earth's surface air temperature and radiation budget have indicated that there is an upper limit above which the mean surface air temperature of the globe cannot rise, as long as the solar constant and the mass of the Earth's atmosphere remain unchanged. It is shown that current state-of-the-art climate models suggest the same thing and that they yield a comparable value for the maximum warming attainable: 4–5 K.

Zusammenfassung

Etliche empirische Studien der Lufttemperatur in Bodennähe und des Strahlungshaushalts zeigten, daß es eine obere Grenze gibt, über welche die mittlere Bodentemperatur auf globaler Basis nicht ansteigen kann, solange die Solarkonstante und die Masse der Erdatmosphäre unverändert bleiben. Es wird gezeigt, da\ die besten gegenwärtigen Klimamodelle dieselbe Schlußfolgerung andeuten und einen vergleichbaren Wert von 4–5 °K für die maximal erreichbare Erwärmung liefem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, 4331 East Broadway Road, 85040, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    S. B. Idso

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  1. S. B. Idso
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With 1 Figure

Contribution from Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Idso, S.B. An upper limit to global surface air temperature. Arch. Met. Geoph. Biocl. A. 34, 141–144 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277443

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277443

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