NOAA – Reports from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) about the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas in the Earth’s atmosphere is causing panic among scientists.
The gas is now measuring up to 400 ppm (parts per million), the highest level ever to have been recorded since recording of levels began in 1957.
Such a level was only experience back in the spring of 2012 and when then Arctic sites had reached that value. According to Pieter Tans of NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, this measurement is a significant milestone globally.
Scientists are now worried that this turn of events is likely to cause a momentous effect on the planet’s climate system. As they would try to explain, carbon dioxide has been continually collecting within the atmosphere hence the recent rise of greenhouse gasses.
So what is the linkage between Carbon Dioxide and Climate? Radiation absorbed from the Sun warms the earth and the energy collected is emanated into the atmosphere.
The good thing is the heat will not have any chances of escaping back into space because of the presence of CO2 that occurs naturally. Hence, the planet is let warm all through.
The global mark of 400 ppm clearly indicates how much humans have been involved in the rise of global carbon dioxide concentration over time.
According to Professor Joanna Haigh (JH), the concentration levels have been at 300s for a very long time. However, the professor says that the current rise should be ignored at all bearing in mind that it affects the climate.
How and why were these levels reached sooner than expected? Professor Sir Brian Hoskins (BH) explains the recording of the levels began way back in 1957.
As such, it was hoped that it was within the international climate negotiations obligations to have the CO2 emissions successfully constrained.
However, this was not to be because the levels have continued to rise gradually. Apparently, this kind of levels were lastly experienced 4.5 million years ago and by the then the world was said to be little warmer.
Nevertheless the levels may continue rising as a result of the compacted and continuous human activity.