2/4.
Re: lapse rate, and what the air absorbs
Joe wrote, "The atmosphere has different Tβs based on what it absorbs from above or below."
That's correct, in part. β
But Joe also wrote, "lapse rate is not enhanced by CO2."
Here's the thing: CO2 in the air affects "what [the atmosphere] absorbs from above and below."
This is Earth's emission spectrum (measured from orbit, over the tropical Pacific). The big notch which I've annotated in green is due to CO2 in the air absorbing radiation from below (and also emitting radiation from air at colder temperatures):
https://sealevel.info/slide16_excerpt2_FTIR_data_from_a_satellite_tropical_western_pacific_annot11_showing_emission_height2_wide_1203x630.pngβ¦
(β However, asking what causes the zip-zag lapse rate shape was kind of a trick question, because there are several causes, and thermodynamic expansion/ compression of air is another, and condensation/ evaporation of moisture is a third.)
3/4.
CO2 (and other GHGs) are colorants. They tint the atmosphere (though in the far infrared, rather than visible part of the spectrum). That causes the air to absorb radiation that otherwise would have passed through. Absorbing radiation warms the air.
https://twitter.com/ncdave4life/status/1259053094526169088β¦
It doesn't take much "colorant" to have a substantial effect on absorption of radiation.
https://twitter.com/ncdave4life/status/1653604043955003392β¦4/4.
If you want to learn about it, there are some great resources here:
https://sealevel.info/learnmore.html?0=pressurebroadening#physicsβ¦
(Especially #7 - #11)