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What are some experiments to prove/disprove man made global warming?

I’m aware that this is a hot-button issue. I am currently riding the fence. I feel bombarded by those on the left saying the “science is settled” and on the right saying “science is flawed” or “findings have been manipulated”. I am looking for experiments one can do at home on the cheap.

A fairly crude experiment you can do is as set out below. I’ve written the instructions so as to compare air, methane and carbon dioxide but you could of course just compare air and CO2.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the thermal properties of carbon dioxide, methane and air.

EQUIPMENT
• 3 identical plastic bottles
• 3 temperature probes
• 3 pre-drilled bungs (optional, helpful)
• Stopwatch
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• 3 Clamp stands if you have access to them (not essential)
• Lamp (or other heat source)

METHOD
• Clean and dry the bottles (they should be dry inside as well)
• Remove any labels
• Insert temp probes through the bungs. If you haven’t got bungs then drill holes in the bottle caps and insert the temp probes through the hole, seal the edges of the hole with plastecine or similar.
• Fill one bottle with carbon dioxide. If you’ve got a soda stream use that, if not put some indigestion tablets into a balloon containing some water, hold the neck of the balloon closed and wait for it to fill with carbon dioxide given off by the tablets. Fill the bottle with the carbon dioxide from the balloon.
• Fill one bottle with methane – from the normal domestic gas supply.
• Seal all three bottles with the bung or the cap
• Secure a bottle in each of the clamp stands
• Place all three bottles equidistant from an indirect heat source such as a lamp (don’t switch the lamp on yet)
• Wait until the temp in all three bottles is identical
• Switch on the lamp
• Take temperature readings from all three bottles for the next 30 minutes at one minute intervals
• Plot the results on a graph

RESULTS
This graph shows the results of an experiment we did a few years ago using just carbon dioxide and air, you should be able to achieve similar results in your experiment

CONCLUSION
The experiment should demonstrate that carbon dioxide and methane will retain more heat than air.

LIMITATIONS
The experiment does not explain why the greenhouse gases retain more heat than air, this is explained at the quantum physics level and isn’t something that can be done at home. Here’s an answer I provided a while back which explains the physics http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnmTuE2OjGAQAjTPTUDPiEnty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091204204454AAGi9b2&show=7#profile-info-6yLHYT9Caa

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Turning briefly to some of the points you mentioned. It’s understandable that you’re undecided as there is a lot of conflicting evidence out there. My advice would be to check out the sources of that information and try and track it back to it’s origins – don’t just accept things at face value.

<< 1. Is there global warming in the first place? >>

Yes, there’s natural warming and manmade warming. Both occur for exactly the same reasons – namely that greenhouse gases have the ability to retain heat, the only difference is where the greenhouse gases come from in the first place.

Most of these gases occur naturally and the majority of warming is natural. The present concern is that the extra greenhouse gases that humans are releasing into the atmosphere is causing the temperature to rise faster than it should.

<< 2. If there is, are carbons a major contributor? >>

Yes, the most prevalent of all the greenhouse gases is water vapour and for all intents and purposes this is entirely natural. The second biggest contributor is carbon dioxide, most of this occurs naturally but it’s a gas that we produce in substantial quantities. Other greenhouse gases that we release in significant amounts are methane and nitrous oxide. In the last 100 years or so human emissions of greenhouse gases have increased the overall amount of these gases in the atmosphere by about 42% (excluding water vapour)

<< 3. If carbons are not, what is (natural, man-made)? >>

The manmade component of global warming is the greenhouse gas emissions. Natural contributors include the Sun and the way it’s output varies, and over long periods of time the way Earth moves in space. There are other factors involved but these are the primary ones.

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