Long discussion on my Facebook page about global warming and what causes it. Two theories were advanced. First theory is the Sun causes it. Second theory was "Chemtrails" . Neither theory is worth a hoot.
First let's talk about the Sun. It's a huge fusion reactor, and it's perfectly conceivable that the reaction sometimes runs fast and sometimes runs slow. From the ground it's hard to measure solar output, because your instruments are looking up thru clouds and air and stuff which comes and goes. About forty years ago the first satellite equipped to measure solar output ("the solar constant") was launched. That first satellite wore out years ago, but others were launched. Out on the Internet you can find plots of solar output from all the satellites going right back to the very first one. The Sun is putting 1350 watts per square meter onto the top of the atmosphere. And, that number hasn't changed over forty years. The instruments are quite sensitive, you can actually eyeball the plots and see the 11 year sunspot cycle. Solar output varies by maybe 10 watts (out of 1350) from sunspot minumum to sunspot maximum. But, try as you might, you cannot see any long term slope to the curves, they run flat across the graph, with only a little 11 year ripple from the sunspots.
Granted, if we keep watching for a much longer time, 400 or 4000 years, instead of the mere 40 years, we might be able to see a rise or fall in solar output. But using the best measurements we have this year, we can say the solar output is very steady. Unless we can measure a change in solar output (which we cannot) I cannot believe the sun as anything to do with global warming.
And then we come to "chemtrails" Those long white streaks that trail behind jet airliners. Flyers call them condensation trails or contrails for short. You have all seen them. Apparently some people think the streaks are mysterious chemicals deliberately sprayed into the air for nefarious purposes. Actually, they are just water vapor formed when kerosine is burned in the engines. Burn kerosine in air, and you get water vapor and carbon dioxide. When the air temperature is right, the water vapor condenses and you can see it.
Some years ago, Bob Guida, an airline pilot of my acquaintance was campaigning for public office up here. Someone asked him about "chemtrails" at a meeting. The questioner said the chemtrails were deliberately produced. "Not on my airline." was Bob's answer.
I spent six years in the Air Force, working on the flight line, and I can assure you that no Air Force aircraft ever had any equipment for production of "chemtrails" anywhere on board. The "chemtrail" idea is a joke, on a par with flying saucers.
So, the solar theory and the "chemtrail" theory are wrong. If global warming is still happening (global temperature has been steady for the last 19 years) something else is causing it.
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