[Vision2020] NASA Climate Science (Aerosal Polarimetry) Satellite "GLORY" Launch Failure Today 3-4-11

[Ted Moffett]

In NASA climate scientist James Hansen's recent book "Storms of My
Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and
Our Last Chance to Save Humanity," (
http://www.stormsofmygrandchildren.com/ )  he discussed the
uncertainties of quantifying atmospheric aerosals impacts on climate,
in part from human pollution, such as sulfates from coal burning
reflecting solar radiation, or soot from diesel rendering ice and snow
darker, absorbing radiation.

While it is generally accepted among climate scientists that aerosals
from human pollution are in total having a cooling effect on Earth's
climate, it is also generally accepted that more precise scientific
monitoring of aerosals was needed (
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/aerosols-the-last-frontier/#more-406
).

In the 1970s, some climate scientists postulated that continued
expansion of human sourced aerosal emssions could induce profound
climate cooling, which is in part the basis for the often heard global
warming skeptical talking point, claming that climate scientists in
the 1970s were predicting global cooling (
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2005/01/the-global-cooling-myth/
: "...there were concerns about the relative magnitudes of aerosol
forcing (cooling) and CO2 forcing (warming)...").

In fact, many climate scientists in the 1970s were concerned about a
warming climate from human CO2 emissions, and were not predicting
global cooling.  Barton Paul Levenson's research regarding peer
reviewed published literature addressing climate sensitivity, the
change in global average temperature from doubling atmospheric CO2
level, reveals the following science papers from the 1970s, all
showing predictions of temperature increase from doubling atmospheric
CO2 level:

http://bartonpaullevenson.com/ClimateSensitivity.html

Manabe 1971- 1.9
Rasool and Schneider 1971- 0.8
Sellers 1973- 0.1
Sellers 1974- 1.32
Weare and Snell 1974- 0.7
Manabe 1975- 2.3
Manabe and Wetherald 1975- 2.93
Ramanathan 1975- 1.5
Temkin and Snell 1976- 1.7
Augustsson and Ramanathan 1977- 1.9
Ohring and Adler 1978- 0.78
Manabe and Stouffer 1979- 4.0
---------------------------------------------
The irony in the skepticism regarding anthropogenic climate warming,
based on the global cooling predictions of the 1970s based on aerosal
impacts, is that if human sourced atmospheric pollution (including CO2
emissions) was entirely eliminated today, within a few years global
warming would likely increase, as the aerosal cooling effect
dissipated, while the radiative forcing of increased atmospheric CO2
levels remained, as it would given CO2 atmospheric lifespan:

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/aerosols-the-last-frontier/#more-406
  (Author: Juliane Fry: http://www.atmos.berkeley.edu/~fry/ )

Quote below from website above:

Aerosols: The Last Frontier?

"The relative lifetimes of CO2 and aerosol in the atmosphere result in
the expectation that reducing fossil fuel use will accelerate warming.
A CO2 molecule has a lifetime of about 100 years in the atmosphere,
while an aerosol particle has an average life expectancy of only about
10 days. Therefore, if we instantaneously ceased using combustion
engines, the (cooling) fossil fuel-related aerosols would be cleaned
out of the atmosphere within weeks, while the (warming) CO2 would
remain much longer, leaving a net positive forcing from the reduction
in emissions for a century or more."
-------------------------
James Hansen indicated in "Storms of My Grandchildren" that
polarimetry data is needed to gather more accurate data on aerosals
(Article on satellite GLORY's polarimetry capabilities:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110221081512.htm ).  NASA
TV interviewed Hansen before the GLORY satellite launch on this
probem.

Today the GLORY satellite launch with its Aerosol Polarimetery Sensor
failed to reach orbit, and is assumed to be in the Southern Pacific
Ocean.  Details and video below from space.com:

NASA's Lost Glory Satellite: Why It Failed and Why It Matters

Brett Israel, OurAmazingPlanet Staff WriterDate: 04 March 2011 Time: 11:52 AM ET

http://www.space.com/11030-nasa-glory-climate-satellite-failure.html
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett