Global Warming Felt By Space Junk and Satellites

An anonymous reader writes in with a story about another side effect of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. "Rising carbon dioxide levels at the edge of space are apparently reducing the pull that Earth's atmosphere has on satellites and space junk, researchers say. The findings suggest that man made increases in carbon dioxide might be having effects on the Earth that are larger than expected, scientists added... in the highest reaches of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide can actually have a cooling effect. The main effects of carbon dioxide up there come from its collisions with oxygen atoms. These impacts excite carbon dioxide molecules, making them radiate heat. The density of carbon dioxide is too thin above altitudes of about 30 miles (50 kilometers) for the molecules to recapture this heat. Cooling the upper atmosphere causes it to contract, exerting less drag on satellites."

Comments

Re:Global warming has EVERYTHING to do with it

[drinkypoo]

Climate change! Is there nothing it can't do?

It can't convince world-raping, destructive assholes to change their ways, apparently. Nor, indeed, can it convince The People to stand up and demand that they do so, because we're too busy fighting amongst ourselves over whether there is even a problem, even as we're in the midst of it.

Re:One is not like the other.

[RockDoctor]

Girls who are hotter on the inside are cooler on the outside because of the greater effectiveness of their insulation layers.

Hey, a girls - AGW analogy that actually works!

If you are a Republican, this is not a justification for raping girls who give you the cold shoulder on the grounds that "she must be hot for me inside". I shouldn't need to say that, but having heard some of the utter crap coming out of American politicians mouths in the last few months, one has to make that clear.