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Another Reason for Climate Change?

Australis

Australis

Writer - Australis
Admiral
I've asked this other places, and been shouted down. I think there simply isn't enough data and it's entirely possible. It goes like this.

In summer in the developed world, we LOVE our air conditioners. We chill large spaces, homes, shops, hotels, malls, the list is big. And all that heat gets pumped out into the general outside. Which has got to make it warmer.

If it was only some buildings, it might be okay, but now, in countries like the US, UK, Australia, Japan, China (now), France, dozens of other countries, thousands, even millions of buildings are pouring heat out into the environment. And that has got to be increasing the ambient temperature. Especially with increased summer temperatures that we're experiencing with drought conditions and global warming. And yes, I think global warming is real, I've simply been watching the weather for the the last, oooo, 40 years, and after that length of time you notice things.

So what do you think? I really do think it's a contributing factor, but I can't find figures if there's been any kind of study, if anyone's even thought about it.

You guys is da branez, let me know.
 
The decreasing number of Pirates (The real fun-loving swashbucklers of yore, not punks with guns on speedboats!) in the world has been proven to be the cause of global warming. Here's a chart!
 
AC units don't create heat, they only move it, so any heat displaced by air conditioners in the summer was already there, only concentrated in a different area
 
backstept said:
AC units don't create heat, they only move it, so any heat displaced by air conditioners in the summer was already there, only concentrated in a different area
Click to expand...

Not entirely true. A/C units are not 100% efficient, and they consume power in the process of moving the heat you mention. Because of this, there is some heat generated by the A/C unit istelf. The compressor, fan, and control circuitry all contribute.

Thermoelectric coolers are far less efficient than conventional compressor based systems.
 
I do think this is an interesting idea, however, I think we have to look at whether the heat energy being produced by homes and buildings is, as a previous poster put, simply recycled heat that already exists in the atmosphere. Certainly, burning fuels puts additional heat energy into the atmosphere, but is it enough? This can be quantified with infrared cameras flown over urban areas. I have seen a similar study for Phoenix, AZ that showed heat being released from specific buildings and building materials. However, the real urban heat island effect is not generated from heat emissions from peoples homes, but from radiated heat from blacktop and building materials. Overall though, your local weather report shows that this heat effect dissipates to a certain distance away from a city, so I'm not sure it has a global impact.

I think for climate change we really need to look at the sun, the main producer of energy to our planet. Atmospheric gasses prevent the escape of re-radiated solar energy, and changes in solar output and Earth's orbital parameters definitely have a huge impact. One only has to look at the surface of Mars (my research area) to see all sorts of surface evidence of how these factors cause global climate change.
 
Another poor soul seeking a human reason for something the planet has done on its own without us for billions of years. We are an egotistical bunch arent we.
 
The "urban heat island" is definitely a real phenomenon, but as Tharsis pointed out it results more from the surface properties of building and paving materials (asphalt etc.) that absorb and radiate heat differently. The city-countryside temperature difference is more pronounced at night when all of those dark surface re-radiate the heat from the daytime. Also, the lack of vegetation in cities reduces evapotranspiration, which also results in increased heating.

Cities have indeed warmed more rapidly than rural areas during the 20th century, but greenhouse warming is observed even far from cities (in the Arctic and out over the oceans for example). And because global mean temperatures are based on many stations, as well as satellite observations integrated over the whole globe - and because cities cover a comparatively small fraction of the total surface area - the urban heat island actually has a negligible effect on global mean temperature measurements.
 
Global warming is happening throughout the entire solar system. It's being caused by the Sun but the reason the Sun is causing it is because it's changing. Something is affecting it, not sure what, there's several possibilities.
Would not surprise me if it's starts to expand a little, get larger.
 
Hey, no need to be hostile! I'm no Tacky! :D

Quite agree about heat being moved from one place to another, but more and more that heat, or at least part of it, is permanently displaced. And... I can't find the right phrase here... in those buildings the internal temperature is being lowered far below a certain level, sometimes to chilly levels, which means more heat being injected into the air. Add to this the extra heat from electricity generated to drive the A/Cs (that's stretching a little I know but it adds up)

Hell, if there are concerns that wind generators cause a 0.2 deg Celsius in their surrounding environment, then A/C has to be adding to urban heat sinks.

So, that's what I'm trying to get at, that outdoor ambient temperatures, primarily in urban areas, are increased. Again, I'm willing to discuss this, but anything I've read here so far hasn't really refuted that belief.

ETA: if the Sun was expanding... I think we would have noticed or been told about it by now.
 
Australis said:
ETA: if the Sun was expanding... I think we would have noticed or been told about it by now.
Click to expand...

Are you really so sure? for the small temperature rise the Earth has experienced how much expansion of the Sun would really be required? would such a tiny expansion really be noticeable on such a small scale? keeping in mind it's surface it always moving about, throwing off flares etc.
 
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