wayne_m

When I said CO2 would become poisonous, I meant that in high concentrations, we can't exchange enough out of our bodies, and blood becomes more and more acidic. This is the reason that we feel an urgent need to take a breath, after holding it for an extended period of time. Even if there is plenty of oxygen in the air, if there is too much CO2, you still die. The poison is the dose.

A linear rise in gas concentration does not equate to a linear rise in absorption of radiation. There is only so much energy to be absorbed. Typically, as gas concentration rises, absorption increases by logarithmic reciprocal. This kind of conversation is usually about CO2, so I'll just say that the change in absorption between 400 ppm and 800 ppm is vastly less than the change between 200 ppm and 400 ppm. In fact, the greatest rise (by orders of magnitude) happens well before 100 ppm. CO2 will become a threat as a poison before it becomes a serious threat due to heat. Add to that that the atmosphere is a stew of many different gases, all with different chemistry and physical characteristics, and you can know one thing: anyone who claims to understand it completely is lying to you. Anyone who claims that his model is definitive is trying to sell you something.

WBAGNFARB = Would be a good name for a rock band. We got a lot of use out of this on another forum I used to frequent. Example, someone mentions "Occam's razor." Occam's razor WBAGNFARB. This could be used for so many terms of physics and astronomy...

An architect, an electrician, and a civil engineer were discussing religion. The architect said, "God must have been an architect. Look at the human body! Such elegance of design! A structure that is strong and light, and allows mobility, coupled with an efficient and effective motive system..." He's interrupted by the electrician: "God must have been an electrician. Look at the wiring system. Self-powered, and such intricate connections throughout the whole body..." They both notice the civil engineer shaking his head. He says,, "God must have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?" And for our Jewish friends: Two Jewish mothers were sitting in a restaurant. The waiter came to their table and asked, "Is anything all right?" An MIT student takes his girlfriend to a local bar. He tells the bartender, a classmate, "I'll have an H2O." The girlfriend says, "I'll have an H2O, too." So many punchlines for this one. He didn't care for her reaction, when she drank it. The date went well, until she blew up at him. Turned out to be a pretty hot date. The bartender gave her water, because he's not a complete idiot.