First Detection of Reduced Human Carbon Dioxide Emission

There is a first for everything and for the first time researchers have found short-term regional fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide worldwide due to emissions from human activities. Scientists used a combination of NASA satellites and atmospheric modeling to discover this change in Carbon Dioxide emissions. The study used data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to measure drops in CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic from space.

A few earlier studies investigated the effects of lockdowns on the levels of Carbon Dioxide emissions early in the pandemic. The studies found that global levels dropped slightly in 2020. Nonetheless, by combining OCO-2’s high-resolution data with modeling and data analysis tools from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System the team was able to narrow down which monthly changes were due to human activity and which were due to natural causes at a regional scale. This is how they were able to conclude that some of the drops in Carbon Dioxide levels were caused by human activities. The article goes on to explain what Carbon Dioxide is, and how to notice slight changes in its level in the atmosphere.

References

Evans, Jessica Merzdorf. “First-of-Its-Kind Detection of Reduced Human Carbon Dioxide Emissions.” Phys.Org – News and Articles on Science and Technology, Phys.org, 1 Apr. 2022, https://phys.org/news/2022-04-first-of-its-kind-human-carbon-dioxide-emissions.html.

How Keeling Contributed to the Worlds Hottest Topic

Charles David Keeling began taking daily measurements of the Carbon Dioxide concentration in the atmosphere at the top of Mauna Loa in Hawaii in 1958 (Monroe). This program is still around; however, there are more locations around the world where data is collected (Monroe). He began this work while doing his doctoral studies in California. He noticed that there was more CO2 at night in Big Sur, and in the afternoons, there was almost always 310ppm (Monroe). He took measurements of atmospheric CO2 in multiple locations, and all found a concentration of 310 ppm until he went to Mauna Loa and found a concentration of 313 ppm (Monroe). The concentration continued to rise until May, when there began to be a decrease in atmospheric CO2 and then an increase back in October (Monroe). Keeling began to realize that the concentration of atmospheric CO2 was reliant on “seasonal changes of growth and decay” (Kennedy, 1). The data collected is now known as the Keeling Curve and is heavily used to monitor our atmospheric CO2.

 

 

 

Kennedy, Caitlyn. “Carbon Dioxide: Earth’s Hottest Topic Is Just Warming Up”. NOAA Climate, 2009, https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/carbon-dioxide-earths-hottest-topic-just-warming.

Monroe, Rob. “The History Of The Keeling Curve”. The Keeling Curve, 2022, https://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/2013/04/03/the-history-of-the-keeling-curve/.