Category Archives: Geothermal

How to Underestimate Geothermal

Many people believe that because the geothermal heat flux is ~91 milliwatts/m², this would imply that, without the sun, the Earth’s surface would be ~36 Kelvin. This is calculated the following way: The math is correct, but there are two problems. First, this is for the top-of-the-atmosphere, not for the surface. But I will notContinue reading “How to Underestimate Geothermal”

Us and Enceladus

Enceladus is the 6th largest moon of Saturn. It has the distinction of being the most reflective object in the solar system. The bond albedo of Enceladus is 0.81. Let’s figure out what the average temperature of Enceladus should be using the standard approach. This is determined by 2 things: Insolation Longwave Radiation from Saturn.Continue reading “Us and Enceladus”

Geothermal Denial

Climate “scientists” look at Earth’s geothermal heat flux, see that it’s small (~0.1 W/m²), and then conclude geothermal can’t possibly predominantly explain Earth’s surface temperature. This is plain wrong. I came up with an illustration to demonstrate my point a while ago: This is a fictional planet. I did this on purpose to accentuate myContinue reading “Geothermal Denial”

Geothermal to the Moon!

The Earth and the Moon have been neighbors for a very long time. We should expect long term steady state heat transfer from Earth’s internal energy (without Sun) to the Moon to be equal to Earth’s geothermal heat flux. To my knowledge, no one has ever made this claim. Sound outrageous? Let’s see… According toContinue reading “Geothermal to the Moon!”

Fourier’s Accidental Confession

Fourier is considered a direct predecessor to mainstream climatology. Mainstream climatology follows him and purposefully neglects geothermal energy in Earth’s energy budget due to the belief that it is too small. This then allows them to make the outrageous claim that it is IR-absorbing gases in the atmosphere that boosts surface temperatures to what weContinue reading “Fourier’s Accidental Confession”

The Irrelevance of Geothermal Heat Flux

You’ve probably heard it before: the geothermal heat flux is so small (91.6 mW/m²) that it can be effectively ignored in Earth’s energy budget. The first part is true, the heat flux is small, but this fact is completely irrelevant. And what is relevant is popularly denied and masked as something else. I’ve already explainedContinue reading “The Irrelevance of Geothermal Heat Flux”

What caused 40 years of global warming?

I’m going to ignore the typical nonsense mainstream narrative, and do this analysis in the tradition of: Measuring Geothermal – A Revolutionary Hypothesis. I will use 41 years of NCEP Reanalysis Data. Create a new file fluxchange.sh, and paste: Run it: The results are changes for years 1979 to 2019 (inclusive). The upwelling radiation fluxContinue reading “What caused 40 years of global warming?”

Two theories, one ideological, other verified

About a dozen people who have read my article, the case of two different fluxes, have dismissed my central argument by invoking a silly theory. The most famous critic, Willis Eschenbach (of WUWT fame), thus writes: Zoe, I just took a look at your page. I fear that you’ve made a mathematical mistake. The problemContinue reading “Two theories, one ideological, other verified”

Hot Plate, Heat Lamp, and Gases in Between

You are sitting on a hot plate (Geothermal). There is a heat lamp pointing down at you (Sun). There are gases in between the lamp and the plate. Mainstream climate scientists believe the surface temperature can only be explained by the heat lamp and the gases. Yes, it “must” be the gases that make itContinue reading “Hot Plate, Heat Lamp, and Gases in Between”