The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has shot past a key milestone — more than 50% higher than pre-industrial times — and is at levels not seen since millions of years ago when Earth was a hothouse ocean-inundated planet, federal scientists announced Friday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said its long-time monitoring station at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, averaged 421 parts per million of carbon dioxide for the month of May, which is when the crucial greenhouse gas hits its yearly high. [1]

Figure 1. Carbon Dioxide Levels in Atmosphere Spike Past Milestone 

Figure 1 shows before the industrial revolution in the late 19th century, carbon dioxide levels were at 280 parts per million, scientists said, so humans have significantly changed the atmosphere. Some activists and scientists want a level of no more than 350 parts per million.

Industrial carbon dioxide emissions come from the burning of coal, oil and gas. This year's carbon dioxide level is nearly 1.9 ppm more than a year ago, a slightly bigger jump than from May 2020 to May 2021. [2]

NOAA's observatory, situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, is the global benchmark location for monitoring atmospheric CO2. At an elevation of 11,141 feet above sea level, the observatory samples air undisturbed by the influence of local pollution or vegetation, and produces measurements that represent the average state of the atmosphere in the northern hemisphere.

The Mauna Loa data, together with measurements from sampling stations around the world, are incorporated by NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory into the Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, a foundational research dataset for international climate scientists and a benchmark for policymakers attempting to address the causes and impacts of climate change.

Despite decades of negotiation, the global community has been unable to significantly slow, let alone reverse, annual increases in atmospheric CO2 levels. [3]

References:

1. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/carbon-level-in-atmosphere-hits-new-milestone-50-percent-higher-than-pre-industrial-levels
2. https://www.voanews.com/a/carbon-dioxide-levels-in-atmosphere-spike-past-milestone-/6602752.html
3. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-carbon-dioxide-peak-higher-pre-industrial.html

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Carbon Dioxide Levels in Atmosphere Spike Past Milestone, Anatechmaz, pp. 66