[Vision2020] Goddard Institute Best of 2010: "Atmospheric CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature" by Lacis et al.

[Ted Moffett]

http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/best.html

Each spring, scientists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space
Studies vote on the "best" publication during the previous calendar
year by a member or members of the institute. We consider this peer
award to be the highest scientific honor that we bestow.
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"Science" journal report/abstract on article in subject heading:

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6002/356

NASA/GISS info on article:

http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi?id=la09300d

Article in full:

http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Lacis_etal.pdf
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Lacis, A.A, G.A. Schmidt, D. Rind, and R.A. Ruedy, 2010: Atmospheric
CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature. Science,
330, 356-359, in press, doi:10.1126/science.1190653.

Ample physical evidence shows that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the single
most important climate-relevant greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere.
This is because CO2, like ozone, N2O, CH4, and chlorofluorocarbons,
does not condense and precipitate from the atmosphere at current
climate temperatures, whereas water vapor can, and does.
Non-condensing greenhouse gases, which account for 25% of the total
terrestrial greenhouse effect, thus serve to provide the stable
temperature structure that sustains the current levels of atmospheric
water vapor and clouds via feedback processes that account for the
remaining 75% of the greenhouse effect. Without the radiative forcing
supplied by CO2 and the other non-condensing greenhouse gases, the
terrestrial greenhouse would collapse, plunging the global climate
into an icebound Earth state.
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett