400 PPM: Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere Reaches Prehistoric Levels

Scientific American ^ | May 9, 2013 | David Biello

[mindburglar]

Who would read that?

[Mrs. Don-o]

CO2 is a trailing indicator, right?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

So the world came to an end 400,000 years ago and we just didn't get the memo?

[Buckeye McFrog]

As measured NEXT TO A VOLCANO!

Yinz all catch that?

[Moonman62]

The point of that graph being that temperature change leads the CO2 change.

Also that CO2 concentration is cyclical.

[wxgesr]

I realize you did not write the above story, but wanted to point out that the "Big Island" is not old enough to have seen anything 800,000 years ago. "it is estimated that the northwestern most island, the Kure Atoll, is the oldest at approximately 28 million years (Ma); while the southeastern most island, Hawaiʻi, is approximately 0.4 Ma (400,000 years). The only active volcanism in the last 200 years has been on the southeastern island, Hawaiʻi, and on the submerged but growing volcano at the extreme southeast, Loʻihi. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the U. S. Geological Survey documents recent volcanic activity and provides images and interpretations of the volcanism."

[agere_contra]

450 million years ago the Earth was locked into a massive ice age - and the CO2 level was between 2000 and 8000 ppm.

[Mycroft Holmes]

Yes, different words same thought.

[Red Badger]

Plus, one has to question the accuracy of measurement equipment from 1958.............................

[Mrs. Don-o]

"450 million years ago the Earth was locked into a massive ice age...."

Oh, darn. Hate it when that happens.

"...and the CO2 level was between 2000 and 8000 ppm."

And here I was, hoping that just by exhaling prodigiously, I could bring on my Pliocene Paradise.

[clearcarbon]

"Plus, one has to question the accuracy of measurement equipment from 1958............................."

Especially if the same equipment has been used for the last 800,000 years. I'd sure like to know what its last calibration date was.

[Red Badger]

[FroggyTheGremlim]

"the pretty, pleasant, practical Pliocene. "

Yeah, except for a few pliocene-predators

• Terror Birds,
• "sabre-tooth" tigers,
• Megalodon
• ...

Oh, it was pleasant alright!

[C210N]

uh 0’, looks like the government will have to switch from preventing homes being built at ocean edges to preventing them from being built on calderas

[PapaBear3625]

Interestingly enough, the seasonally adjusted CO2 levels have been going DOWN the last two months:

[MV=PY]

Scientific American was wonderful when I took it back in the ‘70s. Honest science, interesting articles tamed somewhat for the lay person.

I recently took a subscription and was horrified to discover that it is almost completely tainted, biased with political correctness. It is close to the antithesis of the scientific method, complete with “the science is settled” nonsense.

The magazine’s title is now a joke.

It’s embarrassing that this is what passes for science these days. Shameful.

[CPOSharky]

CO2 readings from the top of a volcano and Antarctica.

Did these people not notice that volcanos spew CO2 and Antarctica has no plant life?

What’s next? Planting sensors in orbit or underwater?

[Fresh Wind]

Wonder how much a prehistoric SUV would sell for if I could dig one up.

Looks like someone found one...

[alancarp]

I'm wondering if math isn't a strong suit of AGW proponents.

400 parts per million. That's 1 part in 2,500. That's 4/100ths of 1 percent.

Let's go a little further...

In 1958, when the Mauna Loa site - that is a volcano, right? - started collecting data, the numbers averaged 315 ppm. Now (I'll round up) we're roughly at 400 ppm. That's a difference of 85 ppm - in 56 years.

So somehow a change of 1 part in 11,764 over 5+ decades (0.0085%) is responsible for all this gloom and doom? I'm hardly versed in the atmospheric sciences, but I'd need somebody to explain this to me.

[mj1234]

oh no!

you finally found the answer to al bore’s rants-

it is all the “earth hippies and Green peace activists”

building COMPOST piles!- they are the ones that started

this climate change! let’s have Al lock them up.

attempted humor. :)