Key measurements are made on top of the Mauna Loa volcano
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In eight to nine years we will probably have seen the last CO2 reading under 400ppm”
James Butler -- Noaa
Posted on 05/10/2013 1:35:14 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have broken through a symbolic mark.
Daily measurements of CO2 at a US government agency lab on Hawaii have topped 400 parts per million for the first time.
The station, which sits on the Mauna Loa volcano, feeds its numbers into a continuous record of the concentration of the gas stretching back to 1958.
The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago - before modern humans existed.
Scientists say the climate back then was also considerably warmer than it is today.
Carbon dioxide is regarded as the most important of the manmade greenhouse gases blamed for raising the temperature on the planet over recent decades.
Human sources come principally from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
The usual trend seen at the volcano is for the CO2 concentration to rise in winter months and then to fall back as the northern hemisphere growing season kicks in. Forests and other vegetation pull some of the gas out of the atmosphere.
This means the number can be expected to decline by a few ppm below 400 in the coming weeks. But the long-term trend is upwards.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
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In eight to nine years we will probably have seen the last CO2 reading under 400ppm”
James Butler -- Noaa
The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago - before modern humans existed.
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hmmmmm..
Why the fascination with numbers with many zeros?
Obviously, some force of nature made the numbers go up. In order to prove their point, they have to PROVE that that force of nature no longer exists. If they don’t do that, they have to shut up.
As global temps remain at sixteen year lows.
The entire island has been emitting copious amounts of gas including carbon dioxide steadily since 1983. I imagine the levels at the top of Mauna Loa will go up if the winds shift in an unusual direction.
“The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago”
That testing station has been up there a long time.
They’re measuring carbon dioxide levels on an active volcano that last erupted in 1984? One of the world’s most active volcanoes too? That’s hilarious . . . they could conclude that sulfur dioxide levels are inordinately elevated too, being up there at a major source of both gases.
Let’s see, if I want to measure gases at a pristine, uncontaminated control location, I’d do it...on top of a volcano. Yeah.
They had SUVs three to five million years ago? Oh, those dinosaurs.
Are there any other CO2 observatories? This is the only one they report.
Exactly what is a modern human? I see advances in technology but there sure are a lot of ignernt peeple out there.
Maybe Soros and Gore can go buy a WHOLE bunch of carbon credits and it will be all better. :)
The atmosphere on Da Big island is hardly a fair sampling for the rest of the planet, as Kilauea has been spewing volcanic gases into the immediate vicinity for over 30 years!
(Just a side note..the Big Tsunami moved the vent BACK up the mountain to its original site in Volcanoes National Park. Last time I was there, Pu’u O’o was quiet, and the Big Hole in the Middle of the Park was sending up a BIG plume of gas.)
I LOVE Da Big island, BTW. Thanks to all that lovely CO2, they have the BEST Coffee!
(Last time I checked, plants and trees love CO2)
"...run Spike RUN, it's gonna blow"
Macadamia nuts the size of golf balls!
other CO2 observatories. Looks like Boulder has very little CO2.
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/towers/#amt
What to worry about in Kilauea volcanic emissions?
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, USGS, June 5, 2008
Excerpt:
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the second most abundant constituent in Kilauea emissions. Current CO2 emission rates are about 10,000 tonnes/day. We already have CO2 in concentrations of 0.04 percent and more in the air that we breathe, thanks to human-generated emissions. Fortunately, plants photosynthesize some of this to make oxygen. CO2 is heavier than air and can be a problem in low-lying areas immediately downslope of a volcanic vent when its concentrations exceed 5 percent. Worldwide, human activities produce more than 100 times the amount of CO2 emitted by volcanoes. So although Al Gore is worried about CO2 he isn’t blaming volcanoes.
Water, SO2, and CO2 comprise about 99 percent of Kilauea’s emissions. All the other constituents together account for the remaining 1 percent and there are many of them. Hydrogen (H2), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) are the principal minor constituents. Of these, H2 and CO are already in the atmosphere at trace levels.
Hydrogen chloride combines with moisture in the air to acidify rain and burn vegetation. HCl is also produced by a chemical reaction where lava enters the sea....
Read more here:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/archive/2008/08_06_05.html
.... Ummmmmm ..... this is on top of a volcanic environment .... aren’t there lots of gasses seeping from the surrounding area some of which would be CO2? Isn’t it possible that there may be an increase in seepage for some reason? I’m just curious cuz I know next to nothing about vulcanology .... just wondering if it’s a possible explanation.
Hawaii will do anything to keep us from looking at the BC books.
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