Feedbacks Water Vapor, Clouds, and the Supergreenhouse Effect

Feedbacks Water Vapor, Clouds, and the Supergreenhouse Effect  

Given the complexity of the ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system, it is not surprising that there are a 

Another important example involves water vapor in the atmosphere. Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas, and its concentration in the atmosphere is a function of temperature as given by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation  

However, there are additional data supporting the relationship between the greenhouse effect and SST. As discussed by Valero et al. (1997b), the greenhouse effect (G) can be expressed as 

A// is the heat of vaporization of water and R is the gas constant. Thus the vapor pressure of water has an exponential dependence on temperature. This suggests that there may be a water vapor feedback associated with global climate change. If the atmosphere warms, for example due to increased greenhouse gases such as C02, increased concentrations of gaseous water are expected in accordance with Eq. (LL). The increased water vapor traps more thermal infrared radiation, warming the atmosphere further (e.g., Raval and Ramanathan, 1989 Stenchikov and Robock, 1995). 

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