The Earth has a green house effect while Mars does not

Gary — 7/23/2005 8:49:39 PM (archived)

The Martian surface temperature is almost exactly what you would expect for pure radiative equilibrium (take the solar flux onto the Martian disk, divide by two for Martian rotation and calculate the surface temperature using the Stefan-Boltzman law). The Earth's surface temperature (like Venus) is significantly different from the radiative equilibrium temperature due to the Green House Effect. The Green House Effect is driven by solar flux, atmospheric density, water vapor, carbon dioxide and cloud cover. The Earth has gone through wild climatic fluctuations due to variations in the Green House Effect, e.g. the Earth previously had no ice caps during some eras as well as glaciation almost to the equator. Mars has probably not had a significant Green House Effect for over 3.5 billion years (maybe never).

Gary

The whole thread (31 posts)

meteorites show Mars was always frozen - andrew - 7/21/2005 7:36:13 PM
- Nice PR but not much else. - SDAI-Tech1 - 7/25/2005 10:48:55 PM
- The freezing point of water is dependent on solutes. - David F Mayer - 7/22/2005 6:54:53 PM
- re: meteorites show Mars was always frozen - Nick Hoffman - 7/22/2005 6:51:09 AM
  - re: While the "always frozen" Mars scenario - BRFelix - 7/22/2005 1:44:31 PM
    - re: While the "always frozen" Mars scenario - Nick Hoffman - 7/23/2005 1:58:35 AM
    - re: Chill - Raoul - 7/22/2005 6:20:45 PM
      - The Earth has a green house effect while Mars does not - Gary - 7/23/2005 8:49:39 PM
    - The NASA Public Relations Machine and the Warm-and-Wet fairytale - Gary - 7/22/2005 4:47:03 PM
      - exobiology -- both infinite and limited - dtb - 7/24/2005 12:59:33 PM
        
        The policy executive and exobiologist have a marriage of convience - Gary - 7/24/2005 10:04:49 PM
      - Public support for sending men to Mar dropped to near zero at the time of Mariner IV - E.P. Grondine - 7/22/2005 4:58:55 PM
        
        "we" - Nick Hoffman - 7/23/2005 2:04:03 AM
        
        re: "we" - E.P. Grondine - 7/23/2005 3:21:55 AM
        
        re: As always I don't suppose you have any evidence of your claims? Maybe a poll taken then? (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 7/22/2005 8:23:41 PM
        
        There was a poll taken of Representatives and Senators - E.P. Grondine - 7/23/2005 3:25:20 AM
        
        re: Nope, as I thought no evidence but in your mind...Mariner 6&7, 8&9 and the two Viking landers and orbiters all happen soon afterwards... (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 7/23/2005 3:38:03 AM
        
        ignoring that work on manned Mars with the Saturn V was stopped (n/t) - E.P. Grondine - 7/23/2005 2:56:51 PM
        
        re:Yes we stopped flying past LEO which includes the Moon, Mars and Beyond. (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 7/23/2005 3:37:16 PM
- 4 billion versus 3.5 billion years - powkenyaw - 7/22/2005 1:46:12 AM
- Interesting. - Tom Brosz - 7/21/2005 11:36:11 PM
  - re: Interesting. - pwokenyaw - 7/22/2005 1:32:45 AM
    - Someday we can do a survey... - alcaray - 7/22/2005 3:45:12 PM
- re: Frozen Mars - Raoul - 7/21/2005 9:35:40 PM
  - re: Hmm, interesting, but then.......... - Johannes - 7/22/2005 1:53:33 AM
    - STOP, STOP, STOP - since when has temperature effected radioactivity decay rate - Marcus - 7/22/2005 12:59:10 PM
      - re: STOP, STOP, STOP - since when has temperature effected radioactivity decay rate - gbaikie - 7/22/2005 7:54:05 PM
    - More or less Argon - Nick Hoffman - 7/22/2005 6:46:00 AM
      - re: More or less Argon - gbaikie - 7/22/2005 10:11:42 AM
        
        re: More or less Argon - Nick Hoffman - 7/23/2005 2:06:44 AM
        
        PSRD's take on this subject - ljk - 7/29/2005 11:53:30 PM

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