TITLE:
Feedback between Carbon Dioxide and Temperature in the Atmosphere
AUTHORS:
Peter Stallinga
KEYWORDS:
Atmosphere, Feedback, Greenhouse Effect, Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.15 No.2,
March
31,
2025
ABSTRACT: The feedback between carbon dioxide, CO2, and the temperature of the atmosphere is analyzed. Starting with the assumption that the average temperature is a function of the carbon-dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, [CO2], the so-called greenhouse effect, feedback is introduced into the system: increased temperature can further increase the CO2 concentration that causes the temperature rise in so-called positive feedback. On the basis of the available data, it is argued that this cannot be the case; the feedback must be negative at the moment. Moreover, the observed correlation between [CO2] and temperature varies across different time scales, suggesting different processes are at work. It is not possible to explain all the data with a single phenomenon like the greenhouse effect, even when feedback is included.