As of February 21, 2021, the CO2 data from the Scripps CO2 program are reported on a revised CO2 scale, which has the effect of lowering the recent Mauna Loa record by ∼0.08 ppm compared to the previous scale.
What does it take for the coronavirus (or other major economic events) to affect global carbon dioxide readings?
A downturn in global fossil fuel use has been prompted by curtailments of travel and social gatherings in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Could this downturn be reflected in atmospheric carbon dioxide readings that comprise the record known as the Keeling Curve, which is managed by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego? Scripps Oceanography … Read More
Carbon Dioxide Levels Hit Record Peak in May
Monthly average surpassed 414 parts per million at Mauna Loa Observatory
Is the Current Rise in CO2 Definitely Caused by Human Activities?
A correspondent recently asked Keeling Curve researchers to settle a family disagreement about the cause of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere and whether the current trend is natural or human-caused. Scripps geochemist Ralph Keeling provided the following answer:
Another Climate Milestone Falls at Mauna Loa Observatory
Peak carbon dioxide levels surpass 411 parts per million for May
Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere Hits Record High Monthly Average
April monthly average exceeds 410 parts per million for the first time in recorded history
Video: How Scientists Measure Carbon Dioxide
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Keeling Curve, Ralph Keeling of the Scripps CO2 Program shows how scientists make carbon dioxide measurements and gives a guided tour of the original instruments his father, Charles David Keeling, developed to start the famous record known as the Keeling Curve. In 2018, carbon dioxide levels are expected to exceed 410 parts … Read More
Rising CO2 Leading to Changes in Land Plant Photosynthesis
Suggests that plants have achieved an optimum response to rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere
Note on Reaching the Annual Low Point
We are now approaching the annual low point in the Mauna Loa CO2 curve, which typically happens around the last week of September but varies slightly from year to year.
Brief Reprieve from 400 PPM Era May Be Thanks to a Hurricane
A hurricane bearing down on Hawaii prompted operators to shut down CO2 monitoring equipment at Mauna Loa Observatory on the Big Island.