==========================================================================
(18) CARBON DIOXIDE CONSTANT: A LETTER IN THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Clark Whelton [cwhelton@mindspring.com]

Dallas Morning News
Sunday Letters,
page 3P, March 4, 2007:

Carbon Dioxide Constant

... I did research on carbon dioxide infrared absorption about 10 years ago
for Texas Instruments and Raytheon as a carbon dioxide detection project
under contract to Carrier Corp.

The importance of carbon dioxide to global heat retention can be determined
by examining the atmospheric infrared absorption data reported on by the
Environmental Research Institute of Michigan more than 50 years ago.

Its data show that carbon dioxide absorbs 8 percent of the heat radiated by
our planet, and that the absorption is complete in a path length of only 300
meters.  Thus the overall heat retention of carbon dioxide is 8 percent.

Since the heat absorption is complete for carbon dioxide in its absorption
band, adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere does not increase its
global heat retention effect.  Carbon dioxide gives us a constant warming
effect over a wide range of concentration, which now is about 380 parts
carbon dioxide to one million parts of air.  The point is that carbon
dioxide's "greenhouse effect" is constant and cannot increase with more
carbon dioxide.  It has been constant for millions of years.

Sebastian Borrello
Allen, Texas