Colm Sweeny from NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory joins FOX Weather to discuss the impacts of the Mauna Loa eruption shutting down the NOAA research center in the area.
WASHINGTON – As the amount of carbon dioxide reaches new heights, scientists are warning that the rate of increase of the greenhouse gas is unlike any other time period seen in human history.
According to NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, measurements taken at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in May averaged 426.9 parts per million, which is 2.9 ppm greater than just a year ago.
“Not only is CO2 now at the highest level in millions of years, it is also rising faster than ever. Each year achieves a higher maximum due to fossil-fuel burning, which releases pollution in the form of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 program, in a statement.
Carbon dioxide is known to act as a blanket and prevents heat from escaping into space.
The gas is believed to have impacts on extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, and flooding, but its direct role remains a debated topic.
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Monthly mean carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii
(NOAA)
NOAA says about half of the carbon dioxide released by humans stays in the atmosphere, while the other half is naturally absorbed by features such as plants and oceans.
Scientists started conducting measurements of carbon dioxide in 1958, and ever since, there has been a steady increase in readings.
NOAA data shows that in the 1980s, gas levels averaged around 340 ppm, about 80 ppm lower than the current levels.
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“Over the past year, we’ve experienced the hottest year on record, the hottest ocean temperatures on record, and a seemingly endless string of heatwaves, droughts, floods, wildfires, and storms,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad in a statement. “Now we are finding that atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing faster than ever. We must recognize that these are clear signals of the damage carbon dioxide pollution is doing to the climate system, and take rapid action to cut fossil fuel use as quickly as we can.”
Scientists maintain that the growth rate of carbon dioxide is from the high use of fossil fuels and an El Niño climate pattern.
The increased levels are also said to lead to ocean acidification and lower levels of dissolved oxygen, which impact the growth of ecosystems.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory
(Susan Cobb/NOAA Research / NOAA)