People fighting over you, even if they don't exist, is kind of fun
The Earth is bathed in a flood of sunlight. A fierce inundation of photons - on average, 342 joules per second per square meter. 4185 joules (one Calorie) will raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree CElsuis. If all this energy were captured by the Earth's atmosphere, its temperature would rise by ten degrees Celsuis in one day.
Luckily much of it radiates back into space. How much depends on albedo and the chemical composition of the atmosphere, both of which vary over time.
A good portion of the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity, is created by its polar ice caps. If polar ice and snow were to shrink significantly, more solar energy would stay on Earth. Sunlight would penetrate oceans previously covered by ice, and warm the water. This would add heat and melt more ice, in a positive feedback loop.
The Arctic Ocean ice pack reflects back out into space a few percent of the total annual solar energy budget. When the Arctic ice pack was first measured by nuclear submarines in the 1950s, it averaged thirty feet thick in midwinter. By the end of the century it was down to fifteen. Then one August the ice broke up into large tabular bergs, drifting on the currents, colliding and separating, leaving broad lanes of water open to the continuous polar summer sunlight. The next year the breakup started in July, and at times more than half the surface of the Arctic Ocean was open water. The third year, the breakup began in May.
That was last year.
Cafeteria Lady has been going off again. She's been trying to work Eyes and Ears and put me down. So... he's dicking with her.
She asked after Palooka, and he told her that he got a way better job with more money. She said that was good, and then said "That poor Rimmy guy, he probably can't get any other job than this one."
Seizing the opportunity (and not bothering to tell her that my annual has gone up thousands of dollars in just the past few months), he told her "Oh no, Rimmy's almost out of here. He got an offer for another site that pays (he quoted an hourly, but the effect was +$10000) more. We're trying to keep him, but I don't think we'll be able to budget that high.
"Oh. That's good then." Cafeteria Lady says. Then she turns to go, but Eyes and Ears gleefully noticed the smile that was playing on her lips, presumably because I was finally leaving the site. He's dying to see how far and fast she spreads this nonsensical story. ;)
Luckily much of it radiates back into space. How much depends on albedo and the chemical composition of the atmosphere, both of which vary over time.
A good portion of the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity, is created by its polar ice caps. If polar ice and snow were to shrink significantly, more solar energy would stay on Earth. Sunlight would penetrate oceans previously covered by ice, and warm the water. This would add heat and melt more ice, in a positive feedback loop.
The Arctic Ocean ice pack reflects back out into space a few percent of the total annual solar energy budget. When the Arctic ice pack was first measured by nuclear submarines in the 1950s, it averaged thirty feet thick in midwinter. By the end of the century it was down to fifteen. Then one August the ice broke up into large tabular bergs, drifting on the currents, colliding and separating, leaving broad lanes of water open to the continuous polar summer sunlight. The next year the breakup started in July, and at times more than half the surface of the Arctic Ocean was open water. The third year, the breakup began in May.
That was last year.
Cafeteria Lady has been going off again. She's been trying to work Eyes and Ears and put me down. So... he's dicking with her.
She asked after Palooka, and he told her that he got a way better job with more money. She said that was good, and then said "That poor Rimmy guy, he probably can't get any other job than this one."
Seizing the opportunity (and not bothering to tell her that my annual has gone up thousands of dollars in just the past few months), he told her "Oh no, Rimmy's almost out of here. He got an offer for another site that pays (he quoted an hourly, but the effect was +$10000) more. We're trying to keep him, but I don't think we'll be able to budget that high.
"Oh. That's good then." Cafeteria Lady says. Then she turns to go, but Eyes and Ears gleefully noticed the smile that was playing on her lips, presumably because I was finally leaving the site. He's dying to see how far and fast she spreads this nonsensical story. ;)
posted by Rimmy at 02:43
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