I find "saturated absorbance bands" to remind me of arguments that thermal IR absorption and reradiation is mostly in wavelengths where the total depth of the atmosphere already has absorption close to 100%.
Meanwhile, the stronger absorption bands do not have square edges, but have edge regions having room to gain. Further meanwhile, there are wavelength ranges where atmospheric absorption is low but nonzero, and has room to move up.
And in addition, there is consideration for water vapor - both being the main greenhouse gas and being a significant positive feedback mechanism, by having its atmospheric concentration varying highly directly with global temperature. Water vapor has significant thermal IR absorption and reradiation over a significant range of wavelengths where total atmospheric absorption by the entire depth of the atmosphere is significantly below 100% and by water vapor alone is significantly above zero.
It gets even worse if Sloman's "pressure broadening" has any actual significant effect. (And I have seen this occur, even in terms of interaction between different substances - as part of studying the physics of high pressure sodium vapor lamps. Some of that is noted by more than one person known as a major poster in the newsgroup sci.engr.lighting.)
Now, what do you propose to be the role played by microdroplets, both in terms of total effect and feedback effect?
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)