Greenhouse gases are actually cooling the atmosphere of Earth.
In all discussions about climate change, one thing is often overlooked - the Earth's upper atmosphere is actually colder, while the lower atmosphere is warmer, and this strange paradox is a clear fingerprint of greenhouse gases at work.
Carbon dioxide in the lower atmosphere helps the Sun's solar energy be reflected off the surface of the Earth and therefore, like a greenhouse, the lower atmosphere heats up.
But at higher altitudes this is a different story, because the upper atmosphere is so thin that carbon dioxide releases its energy into Space and hence the upper atmosphere cools. And this cooling is also making the upper atmosphere contract.
Previous studies have shown that the cooling trend is driven by greenhouse gases, as well as a change in the Earth's magnetic field and the solar activity of the Sun by about 11 years.
A recent study removed these various factors from 1950 to 2015 by simulating the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 100–500 km.
The results confirmed that rising carbon dioxide levels were the main driving force cooling the upper atmosphere.
Changes in the Earth's magnetic field and changes in the solar cycle played very small roles.
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