Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system
Our revisit of fundamental issues of climate challenges the notion and term of the “greenhouse effect”, and attempts a scientific reevaluation using minimal assumptions, such as Newton’s laws, maximum entropy and gas spectroscopy. It replaces terms like “greenhouse gas” with “radiatively active gas”...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Complex Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2025.1617092/full |
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| author | Demetris Koutsoyiannis George Tsakalias |
| author_facet | Demetris Koutsoyiannis George Tsakalias |
| author_sort | Demetris Koutsoyiannis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Our revisit of fundamental issues of climate challenges the notion and term of the “greenhouse effect”, and attempts a scientific reevaluation using minimal assumptions, such as Newton’s laws, maximum entropy and gas spectroscopy. It replaces terms like “greenhouse gas” with “radiatively active gas” (RAG) and “greenhouse effect” with “atmospheric radiative effect” (ARE). While ARE exists in several planets’ atmospheres, on Earth it is primarily driven by water vapor and clouds, with CO2 playing a minor role (especially anthropogenic CO2 which represents 4% of total emissions). Equilibrium thermodynamics, via entropy maximization or molecular collision simulation, leads to an isothermal atmosphere at about 250 K (the average temperature of the troposphere and stratosphere) irrespective of RAG presence or not. It is the troposphere’s 6.5 K/km temperature gradient (lapse rate), partly shaped by moist adiabatic processes, that drives the atmosphere away from this equilibrium and warms the surface to about 288 K on average, with ARE (mainly water vapor and clouds) contributing to the warming, but only when this gradient exists. The temperature gradient varies spatially and temporally and, since 1950, has weakened in the tropics and grown in the polar areas, resulting in a decrease of the surface equator-to-pole gradient, as expected in global warming conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2655b3d3ec2f49cba2716763a50ba15a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-6187 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Complex Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-2655b3d3ec2f49cba2716763a50ba15a2025-08-20T04:03:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Complex Systems2813-61872025-08-01310.3389/fcpxs.2025.16170921617092Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic systemDemetris KoutsoyiannisGeorge TsakaliasOur revisit of fundamental issues of climate challenges the notion and term of the “greenhouse effect”, and attempts a scientific reevaluation using minimal assumptions, such as Newton’s laws, maximum entropy and gas spectroscopy. It replaces terms like “greenhouse gas” with “radiatively active gas” (RAG) and “greenhouse effect” with “atmospheric radiative effect” (ARE). While ARE exists in several planets’ atmospheres, on Earth it is primarily driven by water vapor and clouds, with CO2 playing a minor role (especially anthropogenic CO2 which represents 4% of total emissions). Equilibrium thermodynamics, via entropy maximization or molecular collision simulation, leads to an isothermal atmosphere at about 250 K (the average temperature of the troposphere and stratosphere) irrespective of RAG presence or not. It is the troposphere’s 6.5 K/km temperature gradient (lapse rate), partly shaped by moist adiabatic processes, that drives the atmosphere away from this equilibrium and warms the surface to about 288 K on average, with ARE (mainly water vapor and clouds) contributing to the warming, but only when this gradient exists. The temperature gradient varies spatially and temporally and, since 1950, has weakened in the tropics and grown in the polar areas, resulting in a decrease of the surface equator-to-pole gradient, as expected in global warming conditions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2025.1617092/fullclimateclimatic systematmospherethermodynamicsgreenhouse |
| spellingShingle | Demetris Koutsoyiannis George Tsakalias Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system Frontiers in Complex Systems climate climatic system atmosphere thermodynamics greenhouse |
| title | Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| title_full | Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| title_fullStr | Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| title_short | Unsettling the settled: simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| title_sort | unsettling the settled simple musings on the complex climatic system |
| topic | climate climatic system atmosphere thermodynamics greenhouse |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2025.1617092/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT demetriskoutsoyiannis unsettlingthesettledsimplemusingsonthecomplexclimaticsystem AT georgetsakalias unsettlingthesettledsimplemusingsonthecomplexclimaticsystem |