How was global warming discovered?

Answer 1

The first serious research conducted on the effect of changes in CO2 levels was in 1896, when Arrhenius completed a laborious numerical computation which suggested that cutting the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by half could lower the temperature in Europe some 4-5°C (roughly 7-9°F) - that is, to an ice age level. Arrhenius made a calculation for doubling the CO2 in the atmosphere, and estimated it would raise the Earth's temperature some 5-6°C (averaged over all zones of latitude). Arrhenius did not see that as a problem. He figured that if industry continued to burn fuel at the current (1896) rate, it would take perhaps three thousand years for the CO2 level to rise so high. In any case Arrhenius and other researchers were only interested in explaining the Ice Ages. No one seriously believed that global warming was coming. After much criticism, the work of Arrhenius was ignored by the scientific community.

In 1931, an American physicist, E.O. Hulburt, produced calculations supported Arrhenius's estimate that doubling or halving CO2 would bring something like a 4°C rise or fall of surface temperature, but he was a relatively uknown scientist and published his work in a little known Journal.

In 1938 an English engineer, Guy Stewart Callendar, compiled measurements of temperatures from the nineteenth century onwards and confirmed that there was a warming trend. He went on to evaluate old measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and concluded that over the previous hundred years the concentration of the gas had increased by about 10 per cent. Callendar asserted that this could explain the observed warming.

Nevertheless, it was not until the 1970s that scientists began to take the possibility of global warming seriously.

Answer 2

There was no one discoverer of global warming as such. As is common in science there was a gradual accumulation of evidence by many scientists.

Early discoveries about climate change (American Institute of Physics - the discovery of global warming)

1824

Jean-Baptiste Fourier calculates that the Earth would be far colder if it lacked an atmosphere.

1859

John Tyndall discovers that some gases block infrared radiation. He suggests that changes in the concentration of the gases could bring climate change.

1896

Svante August Arrhenius publishes first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2

1897

Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin produces a model for global carbon exchange including feedbacks.

1930s

Global warming trend since late 19th century reported.

Milankovitch proposes orbital changes as the cause of ice ages.

1938

Guy Stuart Callendar argues that CO2 greenhouse global warming is underway reviving interest in the question.

First warnings about climate change (Directgov - a history of climate change)

From the late 1950s, carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements were made on a mountain top in Hawaii. Over the next decade, these measurements confirmed that levels of CO2 in the atmosphere were rising year on year. In 1967, an early computer simulation suggested that global temperatures might increase by more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on CO2 levels.

Improved climate models developed over the next 20 years confirmed the link between CO2 emissions and global warming. Then an ice core from Antarctica first revealed a link between carbon dioxide levels and temperature going back more than 100,000 years. Warnings like these encouraged international action on climate change.

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The individual that is considered to be the founder of global warming is Doctor Hansen from the GISS. Prior to his claim of the planet's warming in 1984, the common consensus in the science community was that the planet was steadily cooling. From 1934 until the late eighties, the planet had steady and consistent cooling for the entire period. This ran is stark contrast to the past 10,200 years of steady warming since the last ice age. Total warming before man strted burning his first piece of coal was over eleven degrees C. From 1934 until 1978 we saw almost 0.5 degrees of cooling. This was coupled with our increased use of fossil fuel and the fact that CO2 always follows temperature to provide "proof that man's use of fuel was cooling the planet.

Answer 3

There was no one discoverer of global warming as such. As is common in science there was a gradual accumulation of evidence by many scientists.

Early discoveries about climate change (American Institute of Physics - the discovery of global warming)

1824

Jean-Baptiste Fourier calculates that the Earth would be far colder if it lacked an atmosphere.

1859

John Tyndall discovers that some gases block infrared radiation. He suggests that changes in the concentration of the gases could bring climate change.

1896

Svante August Arrhenius publishes first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2

1897

Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin produces a model for global carbon exchange including feedbacks.

1930s

Global warming trend since late 19th century reported.

Milankovitch proposes orbital changes as the cause of ice ages.

1938

Guy Stuart Callendar argues that CO2 greenhouse global warming is underway reviving interest in the question.

First warnings about climate change (Directgov - a history of climate change)

From the late 1950s, carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements were made on a mountain top in Hawaii. Over the next decade, these measurements confirmed that levels of CO2 in the atmosphere were rising year on year. In 1967, an early computer simulation suggested that global temperatures might increase by more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on CO2 levels.

Improved climate models developed over the next 20 years confirmed the link between CO2 emissions and global warming. Then an ice core from Antarctica first revealed a link between carbon dioxide levels and temperature going back more 800,000 years. Warnings like these encouraged international action on climate change.

Answer 4

In 1896 and 1897 scientists were beginning to realise that carbon dioxide was affecting the temperature of the atmosphere. Svante August Arrhenius and Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin were the scientists involved. Then in 1938 Guy Stuart Callendar began arguing that a greenhouse gas warming was occurring, and scientists began looking at the phenomenon again.

Answer 5

In 1988 James Hansen who was the director of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies testfied before the Senate that based on a computer model and temp. measurements he was "99 percent sure...the greenhouse effect has been detected and is changing our climate now." His statement was widely covered by the press, and the term "Global Warming" was coined...