Google Doodle Honors Woman Who Pioneered the Discovery of the Greenhouse Effect

In 1859, the Irish physicist John Tyndall published an article that discussed the absorption of sunlight and release of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide and other gases. He hypothesized that human emissions of these gases could alter Earth’s atmosphere and lead to the trapping of heat. For over 150 years, this study was considered the first to connect greenhouse gases with climate change.

However, in 2016, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe discovered an article written by Eunice Newton Foote, an amateur naturalist from Connecticut, in the digitized archive of The American Journal of Science and Arts.

Born Eunice Newton on July 17, 1819 (Google Doodle celebrates her 204th birthday today) in Goshen, she developed an interest in physics alongside her husband, Elisha Foote. Foote published two scientific papers in 1856 and 1857, with the first paper predating Tyndall’s conclusions by three years.

The article outlines an experiment conducted by Foote, which involved glass tubes filled with air samples of different densities and varying levels of water vapor and carbon dioxide. A mercury thermometer was used to record temperature changes. Foote recognized the role of air density in explaining temperature decreases at higher elevations, such as on a mountain summit where air density is lower. Surprisingly, water vapor had the opposite effect, causing the air in the glass tube to warm up more quickly when aqueous vapor was added. Foote observed a similar, and perhaps even stronger, effect with carbon dioxide. When the tube was filled with air containing high levels of carbon dioxide and exposed to “the Heat of the Sun’s Ray,” it became noticeably hotter compared to the tube filled with ordinary air.

Based on her observations, Foote concluded that varying concentrations of gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere could account for changes in Earth’s temperature.

“An atmosphere with a high concentration of that gas would result in a high temperature for our planet. Additionally, if, as some believe, the air had a higher proportion of that gas at one point in Earth’s history, then both its own actions and increased weight would have led to a rise in temperature,” Foote stated.

After publishing her findings, Foote went on to produce a second study on atmospheric static electricity. These were the first two physics studies published by a woman in the United States.

Eunice Newton Foote was acknowledged in an 1856 issue of Scientific American highlighting women’s contributions to contemporary science. Unfortunately, her work was quickly forgotten. Tyndall did not reference her study in his own work, and for a long time, it was believed that her original article had been lost.

Today, scientists worldwide are building upon the scientific foundation laid by Foote as they advance the field of climate science.

Interested in reading more? Check out:

“Meet the woman who first identified the greenhouse effect” by Megan Darby.

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