Michael Connolly¹, Ronan Connolly^1*

¹ Dublin, Ireland.
^* Corresponding author. E-mail:

A previously-overlooked mechanism for energy transmission throughout the atmosphere is presented and characterised. This mechanism, which we have named pervection, involves the transmission of mechanical energy through a mass – in this case, the atmosphere. It is distinct from convection in that it does not require mass transport. It is also distinct from conduction in that conduction involves the transmission of thermal energy, not mechanical energy. The current atmospheric models assume that energy transmission in the atmosphere is dominated by radiation and convection, and have until now neglected pervection.

Experiments were carried out to measure the rate of energy transmission by pervection in air. It was found that pervection is rapid enough (39.4 ± 0.9 m s^-1) to ensure the troposphere, tropopause and stratosphere remain in thermodynamic equilibrium. This contradicts a fundamental assumption of the current atmospheric models which assume the atmosphere is only in local thermodynamic equilibrium.

M. Connolly, and R. Connolly (2014). The physics of the Earth’s atmosphere III. Pervective power, Open Peer Rev. J., 25 (Atm. Sci.), ver. 0.1 (non peer reviewed draft). URL: http://oprj.net/articles/atmospheric-science/25

First submitted on: January 8, 2014. This version submitted on: January 8, 2014

Michael Connolly¹, Ronan Connolly^1*

¹ Dublin, Ireland.
^* Corresponding author. E-mail:

In a companion paper, a pronounced phase transition was found to occur between the troposphere and the tropopause/stratosphere regions. In this paper, it is argued that this phase change is due to the formation of multimers of the main atmospheric gases (N₂ and O₂) in the tropopause/stratosphere.

This has several implications for our current understanding of the physics of the Earth’s atmosphere: (1) It offers a more satisfying explanation as to why stratospheric temperatures increase with altitude, than the previous explanation that it is due to absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone. (2) It provides an explanation for the high wind speeds associated with the jet streams. (3) It provides an additional mechanism for the emission of infra-red and microwave radiation from the tropopause/stratosphere. (4) It provides a new mechanism for infra-red emission from the tropopause. (5) It suggests a faster mechanism for the formation of ozone in the ozone layer than the conventional Chapman mechanism.

M. Connolly, and R. Connolly (2014). The physics of the Earth’s atmosphere II. Multimerization of atmospheric gases above the troposphere, Open Peer Rev. J., 22 (Atm. Sci.), ver. 0.1 (non peer reviewed draft). URL: http://oprj.net/articles/atmospheric-science/22

First submitted on: January 8, 2014. This version submitted on: January 8, 2014

Michael Connolly¹, Ronan Connolly^1*

¹ Dublin, Ireland.
^* Corresponding author. E-mail:

Atmospheric profiles in North America during the period 2010-2011, obtained from archived radiosonde measurements, were analysed in terms of changes in molar density (D) with pressure (P). This revealed a pronounced phase change at the tropopause. The air above the tropopause (i.e., in the tropopause/stratosphere) adopted a “heavy phase”, distinct from the conventional “light phase” found in the troposphere. This heavy phase was also found in the lower troposphere for cold, Arctic winter radiosondes.

Reasonable fits for the complete barometric temperature profiles of all the considered radiosondes could be obtained by just accounting for these phase changes and for changes in humidity. This suggests that the well-known changes in temperature lapse rates associated with the tropopause/stratosphere regions are related to the phase change, and not “ozone heating”, which had been the previous explanation.

Possible correlations between solar ultraviolet variability and climate change have previously been explained in terms of changes in ozone heating influencing stratospheric weather. These explanations may have to be revisited, but the correlations may still be valid, e.g., if it transpires that solar variability influences the formation of the heavy phase, or if the changes in incoming ultraviolet radiation are redistributed throughout the atmosphere, after absorption in the stratosphere.

The fits for the barometric temperature profiles did not require any consideration of the composition of atmospheric trace gases, such as carbon dioxide, oxone or methane. This contradicts the predictions of current atmospheric models, which assume the temperature profiles are strongly influenced by greenhouse gas concentrations. This suggests that the greenhouse effect plays a much smaller role in barometric temperature profiles than previously assumed.

M. Connolly, and R. Connolly (2014). The physics of the Earth’s atmosphere I. Phase change associated with tropopause, Open Peer Rev. J., 19 (Atm. Sci.), ver. 0.1 (non peer reviewed draft). URL: http://oprj.net/articles/atmospheric-science/19

First submitted on: January 8, 2014. This version submitted on: January 8, 2014