Re: Global dimming masking greenhouse effect

From: Franz Heymann (notfranz.heymann_at_btopenworld.com)
Date: 01/21/05 

Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 16:26:45 +0000 (UTC)

<jimp@specsol-spam-sux.com> wrote in message
news:cspeqe$bj5$1@mail.specsol.com...
> In sci.physics Franz Heymann <notfranz.heymann@btopenworld.com>
wrote:
>
> > "Eric Gisin" <ericgisin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:csf9p002svj@enews1.newsguy.com...
>
> > [snip]
>
> > > Habshi has a friend. Do you also think trees spontaneously
combust
> > at 45C?
>
> > In the Kalahari there is a species of finch which builds huge
> > condominiums of nests, each inhabited by hundreds of families.
Very
> > occasionally these suffer "spontaneous combustion". The
phenomenon
> > has been studied experimentally, and it has been ascertaines that
just
> > once in a while, a dew drop hangs in just the right place for the
> > morning sun to be focussed on to a piece of easily combustible
> > material.
>
> > It would not surprise me in the least if that can not also happen
to a
> > dead forest tree.
>
> > Franz
>
> I would be very surprised if the probability of it happening is
greater
> than my winning the lotto this weekend.

It does happen that those condominiums occasionally ignite in the
absence of lightning at ambient temperatures in the high forties/low
fifties. Have you ever seen one of them? If you have, you will
concede that the structure allows large numbers of sites at which a
dewdrop might be attached do its thing.

  It has been demonstrated experimentally how it could occur. Please
feel free to provide an alternative. If you succeed then ask yourself
if the same process could also cause a dead tree in a forest to
ingnite.

Franz