wirebender is wrong in his understanding of absorption and emission of IR by GHGs. I hope the readers here check things out for themselves rather than take his voodoo science at face value. atoms and molecules absorb and emit at the same wavelengths, although there are numerous complications of course.
You keep saying that Ian but to date, you have not pointed out any mathematical error on my part nor have you named any law of physics that I have misapplied.
Tell me Ian, do you acknowledge the fact that when you are calculating any transport of electromagnetic energy, the flow is determined by field vector calculus? Are you familiar with Poynting's vector theorem? If so, describe how you believe CO2 might trap heat or cause atmospheric warming within the context of that theorem or describe how field vector calculus need not be applied to the respective EM fields radiated by the earth and atmosphere.
As to GHG molecules not absorbing the emission from like molecules, I have provided you with this once and you didn't acknowledge it, so here you go, again Ian.
Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels 1994 - Volume 2, Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Clip:
What happens after the GHG molecules absorb infrared radiation? The hot molecules release their energy, usually at lower energy (longer wavelength) radiation than the energy previously absorbed. The molecules cannot absorb energy emitted by other molecules of their own kind. Methane molecules, for example, cannot absorb radiation emitted by other methane molecules. This constraint limits how often GHG molecules can absorb emitted infrared radiation. Frequency of absorption also depends on how long the hot GHG molecules take to emit or otherwise release the excess energy.
Then I brought forward a video and an explanation for what you are seeing. For you, Ian, I will bring it forward again with the explanation.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeYfl45X1wo&feature=player_detailpage]‪CO2 experiment‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]
Recognize it? Watch the experiment progress. As the tube fills up with CO2, the radiation transmitted through the tube to the camera diminishes till it is effectively shut out. The guy on the video claims that the heat is trapped within the tube, but if it were actually trapped, instead of a heat signature from the candle, you would see the tube containing the CO2 light up with the trapped heat.
Instead, what you see is just a dimming of the heat signature of the candle. As the concentration of CO2 increases, the heat signature of the candle dims because a saturation point is reached at which the radiation emitted from the CO2 molecules at the candle end of the tube is simply unable to move forward since no CO2 molecule can absorb the emitted radiation. I doubt that even the most rabit warmist would begin to claim that even in an atmosphere of 100% CO2 that all IR would be effectively trapped as the guy in the video seems to be implying with his experiment.
The experiment is hucksterism plain and simple but it does prove my point. Again, if the CO2 were trapping heat, the gas within the tube would emit a heat signature. What you are actually seeing though is a complete absence of any heat signature. If it were trapping the heat, you would see the CO2 within the tube assume an orange or yellow glow as it radiated the heat. You have to wonder if the guy in the video knows that he is doing his small part towards corrupting science to the point that no one takes anything a scientist says seriously or if he really doesn't understand what he is doing. How could he not know that if the CO2 were trapping heat as he claims, that it would emit a heat signature rather than clearly demonstrating that no radiation was getting through.
That is observable, repeatable experimental evidence that if you increase the concentration of CO2 it eventually becomes opaque to IR because one CO2 molecule can not absorb the emission from another CO2 molecule.
If you see something other than what I describe happening there, by all means say what you see.
bogus statements piss me off whether they come from the proAGW side or the skeptical side
Yeah, me to. Especially when they are statements like yours claiming that I am wrong while you remain unable to point to any specific error on my part other than that you just don't agree with me.