How has CO2 data changed at Mauna Loa?

Credit: NOAA. The annual growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii jumped by 3.05 parts per million during 2015, the largest year-to-year increase in 56 years of research.

Why is Mauna Loa a good place to measure CO2?

We have confidence that the CO2 measurements made at the Mauna Loa Observatory reflect truth about our global atmosphere. The main reasons for that confidence are: The Observatory near the summit of Mauna Loa, at an altitude of 3400 m, is well situated to measure air masses that are representative of very large areas.

What was the CO2 concentration over Mauna Loa in 1958?

313 ppm
Establishing the Keeling Record at Mauna Loa The first reading from Mauna Loa, dated March 29, 1958, measured the atmospheric CO2 concentration at 313 ppm.

What was the highest CO2 level on Earth?

420 parts per million
Monthly average carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have reached above 420 parts per million (ppm) for the first time on record. The new data, from Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, were released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

How much CO2 does Mauna Loa emit?

Carbon dioxide peaks near 420 parts per million at Mauna Loa observatory.

Which 2 places do we have the best and longest set of data on CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere?

The CO2 data from Mauna Loa Observatory is the world’s longest series of direct CO2 measurements. In 1958, David Keeling from Scripps Institution of Oceanography first set up instruments at the top of this Hawai’ian volcano in the middle of the Pacific.

What is the difference between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea?

Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano on Earth — and one of the most active — covers half the Island of Hawaii. Just 35 miles to the northeast, Mauna Kea, known to native Hawaiians as Mauna a Wakea, rises nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. To them it represents a spiritual connection between our planet and the heavens above.

What was the average CO2 concentration at the start of the Keeling’s study in 1953?

approximately 310 parts per million
Keeling soon determined that the level of atmospheric CO2 was approximately 310 parts per million (ppm)—that is, for every million molecules of gas in the atmosphere, 310 of them were carbon dioxide.

When was the last time we had 400 ppm CO2?

around four million years ago
The last time global carbon dioxide levels were consistently at or above 400 parts per million (ppm) was around four million years ago during a geological period known as the Pliocene Era (between 5.3 million and 2.6 million years ago). The world was about 3℃ warmer and sea levels were higher than today.

When did CO2 exceed 400 ppm?

May 9, 2013
On May 9, 2013, CO2 levels in the air reached the level of 400 parts per million (ppm). This is the first time in human history that this milestone has been passed. CO2 is the most important man-made greenhouse gas, which means (in a simple sense) that it acts like a blanket trapping heat near the surface of the Earth.

Will Mauna Loa emit more CO2?

While the year-to-year increase of 1.8 ppm in the May CO2 peak was slightly less than previous years, CO2 measurements at Mauna Loa for the first five months of 2021 showed a 2.3 ppm increase over the same five months of 2020, close to the average annual increase from 2010 to 2019.

Will Mauna Loa emit in the future more CO2 or less?

We forecast the annual average CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa to be 2.14 ± 0.52 parts per million (ppm) higher in 2022 than in 2021. As a result, we forecast the 2022 annual average CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa to be 418.3 ± 0.5 ppm (Figure 1).