Does gravity play a role in planetary surface temperature?

Does gravity play a role (other than confining the atmosphere, driving convection, etc.) in determining the temporal and spatial mean temperature at the surface of Earth?

In other words, does the gravi-thermodynamics of the adiabatic lapse rate make a significant contribution to determining the average planetary surface temperature on earth?

My short answer is "no". Here is a summary of my answer:

The planetary surface temperature is a result of radiation balance at the surface (including also other heat losses at the surface, such as convection and evaporation), irrespective of thermo-gravitational effects in the atmosphere above the surface. All the relevant energy transfers are "at the surface" because the temperature in issue is the surface temperature.

Lapse rate gravi-thermodynamic considerations are vital for calculating the altitude profile of temperature of the atmosphere, however, the exact temperature profile of the atmosphere has little effect on the resulting surface temparature that is constained solely by the energy exchanges AT THE SURFACE (caps for emphasis).

The exchange below was posted as response comments related to THIS VIDEO. The editor of the video had originally inserted a bubble comment critical of my point being made at approximately 26m33s. Then Gerald Sahd commented that the buuble was incorrect and this discussion followed.


 Gerald Sahd
Highlighted comment
Pinned by 1000frolly
8 months ago

The bubble comment at 26:33 is incorrect... do an internet search.

1

DenisRancourt 8 months ago (edited)

Ya, this is a misunderstanding. I would remove the editor's inserted "bubble". The calculation is for "no atmosphere" BUT imposing the same albedo and emissivity as the actual earth with atmosphere. In other words we instantaneously remove the gaseous atmosphere while leaving the ice/water-particulate clouds in place, and without affecting soil and plant humidity, etc. It is a hypothetical calculation. It is a physicist's "thought experiment" meant solely for educational purposes... I did not think it would become an issue. :) My actual paper makes all this very clear::: https://archive.org/details/RadiationPhysicsConstraintsOnGlobalWarmingCo2IncreaseHasLittleEffect

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1000frolly 8 months ago

Denis, I am reading through your paper, and it is very clear. In your abstract; "Also, the net warming effect from the atmosphere, including all atmospheric processes (not just greenhouse forcing), without changing anything else (except to add the removed atmosphere) is +18oC, not the incorrect textbook value of +33oC." And on page 8; "With no atmosphere we should use the albedo of the Earth’s present solid surface, in its present state. The latter shortwave albedo <as> has been measured by satellite and is 23/(23+161) = 0.125 ([1]: Fig.1). This gives (eq.3) the significantly higher no-atmosphere mean surface temperature of To = 269.4 K (or –3.7oC), for a total atmosphere warming effect without changing anything else on the present Earth of +18oC, not +33oC. The correct predicted surface temperature of an Earth with no atmosphere but otherwise unchanged is –4oC. ....the relevant question for the present discussion is “What is the net warming effect from the atmosphere, including all its processes, without changing anything else?” The answer is +18oC, not +33oC.". Both the abstract and Page 8 agrees with my calculation of 269.8K for the Earth without an atmosphere. It seems that we 100% agree on the 18c for the warming effect of the atmosphere - no?

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