Atmospheric CO2 Counter

From WikiClimate

This atmospheric CO₂ counter uses a widget provided by Midsummer Energy.

The calculated figure shown above uses estimates of the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂ - the main greenhouse gas) based on actual measurements taken monthly a worldwide network of stations and collated by the Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, Colorado. The record of CO₂ concentrations available from ESRL stretches back over 50 years.

Midsummer calculate the current concentration by correcting the last measured value with an increase estimated from the rate of concentration change averaged over the last 5 years (currently rising at around 0.0056 parts per million per day) and multiplied by the time since the last measurement. Carbon dioxide has a strong seasonal cycle as it is absorbed by growing vegetation in the spring and summer, and released as vegetation decays (and trees continue transpiring) again in the autumn and winter. As there is more land mass in the Northern hemisphere (and so more vegetation), CO₂ levels rise more rapidly between September and March.

The concentration of atmospheric CO₂ is important as it is this gas that is the main contributor to global warming. As the level rises, more of the sun's heat is trapped by the atmosphere, and the average global temperature rises. Estimates of pre-industrial levels of atmospheric CO₂ generally fall around 278ppm, with the rise of over 100ppm attributed to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has suggested that levels should be stabilised at no more than 450ppm if the rise in global temperatures is to be constrained to no more than 2°C.