CO2 concentration in the atmosphere – January 2014: after having reached a peak of 400 ppm at Mauna Loa center, then it has progressively decreased reaching 393.2 ppm in September, but now are going up again toward 400 ppm
Climate change is becoming the most important challenge for humanity in the near future. Understanding the driving factors of global warming is a starting (and key) point in this challenge. One of these factors is the measure of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. According to the record of CO2 and temperature preserved in ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, there is a clear correlation between CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and air temperature (the higher the concentration, the higher air temperature will be).
This is why we are going to present (at www.lteconomy.it/en) each month the weekly results of CO2 concentration at the Mauna Loa centre, the territory chosen by (the site chosen by Charles D. Keeling, the scientist who started the studies on the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere).
On May 9th 2013, CO2 concentration at the Mauna Loa Observatory reached 400 parts per million (ppm) (for more details on the meaning of this measure, see the following article and the interview with Pieter Tans, Head of the Maunha Loa Observatory). It is a high value, considering the fact that, it was 280 ppm in the pre-industrial era and a concentration of 500 ppm is considered by some scientists as an irreversible point, by which Earth will reach a new hotter equilibrium. Since then, weekly observations have gradually decreased, reaching 393.21 ppm in the 5th week of September 2013. Them, the index has gradually rebounded, reaching 397.98 in the third week of January 2014 (it was 395.64 in January 2013).
It is important to notice that year-on-year comparisons of the 3rd week in each month since 2013, in terms of ppm, show always a positive difference, proving a growing trend in CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa center.
The year-on-year difference varies from 1.67, to 3,59. So supposing that this trend is destined to continue, considering an annual increase of 3 ppm in CO2 concentration, by just a little bit more than 30 years, in May this measure will reach the tremendous 500 ppm.
Tab. Co2 concentration at Mauna Loa center since May 2013, year-on-year comparison
|
Period
|
CO2 concentration (in ppm)
|
Period
|
CO2 concentration (in ppm)
|
ch. (in ppm) 2013 on 2012
|
|
May 2012 3rd week
|
396.32
|
May 2013 3rd week
|
399.91
|
3.59
|
|
June 2012 3rd week
|
395.74
|
June 2013 3rd week
|
398.12
|
2.38
|
|
July 2012 3rd week
|
394.29
|
July 2013 3rd week
|
396.66
|
2.37
|
|
Aug. 2012 3rd week
|
391.4
|
Aug. 2013 3rd week
|
394.88
|
3.48
|
|
Sep. 2012 3rd week
|
390.76
|
Sep. 2013 3rd week
|
393.48
|
2.72
|
|
Oct. 2012 3rd week
|
391.3
|
Oct. 2013 3rd week
|
393.95
|
2.65
|
|
Nov. 2012 3rd week
|
393.18
|
Nov. 2013 3rd week
|
394.85
|
1.67
|
|
Dec. 2012 3rd week
|
394.37
|
Dec. 2013 3rd week
|
397.23
|
2.86
|
|
Jan. 2013 3rd week
|
395.64
|
Jan. 2014 3rd week
|
397.98
|
2.34
|
Source: ESRL-NOAA
Source: LTEconomy elaboration on ESRL-NOAA
LTEconomy, January 29 2014