| dc.description.abstract | While discussing the global situation of Earth’s natural environment and changes in the
physical characteristics of atmosphere which cause climate change, the most frequently mentioned
is the greenhouse effect. The disturbing results of the greenhouse effect intensification
in the atmosphere are mainly attributed to the increasing concentration of only one greenhouse
gas - carbon dioxide. The increasing concentration of this gas is connected with the rapid
development of energetics relying on combustion. In the last two centuries carbon dioxide
concentration in the atmosphere has grown by around 40%.
This article describes the physical mechanisms of how the greenhouse effect originates in
the atmosphere. The authors discuss its role in shaping the thermal parameters of the atmosphere
and shows the emission/absorption characteristics of the main greenhouse gases, such as water
vapour or carbon dioxide. It is pointed out that the crucial factor that in nearly 100% decides
about the greenhouse effect occurring in the atmosphere is water vapour. The contribution of
other gases, including carbon dioxide, is fractional. It is also concluded that absorption indices
of the main greenhouse gases decrease with the rise in temperature, which means a regress in
the greenhouse effect with the increase in the atmosphere temperature. The article recalls the
results of long-term research into the climatic change on Earth, obtained on the basis of the isotope
composition of icecap layers and the composition of seabed sediment, which indicate that,
for unknown reasons, the air temperature near the Earth surface has undergone considerable
fluctuations on a long-term scale.
In the light of this information and the resulting discussion, blaming carbon dioxide as the
exclusive cause of changes and anomalies in the atmosphere is highly controversial. | en_EN |
