I’m always amazed by the power of data visualization. In this case a video shrinks the rising levels of carbon dioxide over the course of 800,000 years to just under two minutes.
The motivation is simple: April set a carbon dioxide milestone by averaging 400 parts per million for the entire month. That’s uncharted territory over the course of human history.
The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are monitored from a site atop Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, where they have been measured continuously since 1958. Previous to this date scientists measure ice cores, which contain air bubbles and therefore snapshots of carbon dioxide levels.
This animation from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences makes clear that while there have been some variations over time, the current rise is unparalleled by geological scales.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution CO2 levels stayed roughly around 280 ppm. But then with the kickstart of carbon emissions, levels were driven exponentially higher. They soared past 350 ppm — the level scientist James Hansen said was the safe upper limit of CO2 — in October 1989.
The first measurement in excess of 400 ppm was made on May 9, 2013. This year, the level rose above that mark two months earlier, and has remained above 400 ppm steadily since the beginning of April. Levels will peak in May and then drop back down throughout the summer months as trees and plants soak up some CO2.
Once the northern hemisphere spins into fall, the instrument on Mauna Loa will again read higher CO2 levels. Next year will probably see an even earlier onset of levels above 400 ppm. It likely won’t be long before levels never drop lower than 400 ppm, even throughout the summer months.
Also, today the U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that has been five years in the making, providing an overview of observed and projected climate change. It’s a lengthy document, but you can see an overview here. In sum, the report shows how the world is already experiencing the effects of climate change and the impacts are playing out before our eyes.
“We’ve seen a lot in the last five years,” said Andrew Rosenberg of the Union of Concerned Scientists, one of the lead authors on the report’s oceans chapter, in a press release from The Daily Climate. “So what we’ve tried to do is be quite comprehensive on what our observations have been, as opposed to just modeling projections.”
“Five years ago, ocean acidification and species movement was already happening, but the observational record wasn’t as clear,” Rosenberg said. “Now it really is quite clear. It’s not theory-based or model-based.”
This report is unique in that it not only includes data from scientists, but also has input from local groups and industries facing climate impacts. Corn producers in Iowa, oyster growers in Washington, and maple syrup producers in Vermont are all experiencing climate-related issues. So, too, are coastal planners in Florida, water managers in the Southwest, and Native Peoples on tribal lands from Louisiana to Alaska.
Human beings are already being impacted by climate change.
Exponential advancement of scientific knowledge.
One suggestion is that due to Wheeler contractions and explosions have the effect of “reprocessing” / “restore” the Cosmos.
What this means is that each new cycle is kind of a “new adventure” where the natural conditions are shuffled aleatoriamente.No attempts to explain how this can happen, but happen, the universe could explore all possibilities after a sufficient number of cycles (which, of course, would be an astronomically large number).
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We’re sooooo doomed… Well no, we are not doomed, our children are. Enjoy the show while you can.
All posts here which relate to real science are erased by the intolerant and fanatic doomsday politicians who obviously run this site. Real science show that temperatures have NOT increased during the last 17 years, but that CO2 emissions have had exclusively beneficial consequenses in the form of stimulated growth of wild life and of agriculture. Those who have cut back on their CO2 emissions have damaged wild life and the economy. They were fooled by IPCC forecasts which have been emphatically falsified during the past decades.
Also, the easter bunny is real and there are trolls living under all bridges.
The difference between crackpots like you and articles like this is this article has evidence to support its claims. You do not.
Hi Shannon,
We share the same forename, just as it is, no other meaning intent.
I check into this site everyday. I am very grateful for all the knowledge you have given me. I love this site and just marvel at the images and wonders you show, and find it incredible what human beings are capable of. Without you, I would have a struggle to keep up to date with all that is going on.
However this post, forced me to register. Yes forced.
Just so you understand where I am coming from. You have displayed a spike. Can I say this again, you have ONLY displayed a spike. Yet you have chosen to wrap it into a graph spanning 800,000 years! What in heaven are you doing?
Again, just so you understand, I have no bias towards global cooling or warming. This is strictly directed towards this very misleading summary this post has pointed to. Perhaps your summary may be correct in the long term, or very misleading. Please, do not put science on the back burner just because you have a passion.
BTW we share the same passion. I love this world too.
I deliberately only sumitterd this comment now, as I feel sure very few, if any will ever read it. This is directed at you only, why have you done this very misleading post? I am sure it means very little to you, but you sure pulled the carpet from under my feet.