Relative contributions of H20, CO2 and 03 to the greenhouse effect
It is hard to disentangle the percentage contributions to the greenhouse effect by different gases, because their respective infrared spectrums overlap. However, one can calculate the percentage of trapped radiation remaining, and discover:
|
Species removed |
% trapped radiation remaining |
|
All |
0 |
|
H2O, CO2, O3 |
50 |
|
H2O |
64 |
|
Clouds |
86 |
|
CO2 |
88 |
|
O3 |
97 |
|
None |
100 |
Conclusion :
1/ H20 contributes la lot more than CO2 to the greenhouse gas effect (in two ways : as waper vapor in the atmosphere mostly, AND as clouds as well although a little less for the clouds).
2/ The contribution of clouds is important, greater than that of CO2, but less than that of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Source: Ramanathan and Coakley, Rev. Geophys and Space Phys., 16 465 (1978)