It seems we didn’t reach 400PPM last week after all. The data has been revised. Ooops.
‘Carbon dioxide measurements in the Earth’s atmosphere did not break the symbolic milestone of 400 parts per million at a Hawaiian observatory last week, according to a revised reading from the nation’s climate observers.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revised its May 9 reading at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, saying it remained fractions of a point below the level of 400 ppm, at 399.89′
Source: LA Times
Oh well, there’s always next week…or maybe not, since spring in the Northern Hemisphere tends to reduce CO2 as plants suck up all that CO2 that some claim is not plant food.
Still time to get t-shirts though.
H/t to Marc Morano
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Question raised by this post I’ve always wondered about: does the composition of the atmosphere vary much with the seasons? In other words, is there more CO2 and less O2 in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, etc. due to there being fewer leaves at work?
I’m sure the msm will cover this retraction, not.
No wonder there wasn’t a climate Thermageddon last week. Here’s hoping.
Steve Rosenberg–
Keeling (of Mauna Loa fame) published an article 20 years ago showing the seasonal variation of oxygen using precise measurements of the O2/N2 ratio. As expected, it varies out of phase with CO2, but he found that it seemed to vary a bit more (about twice as much) than if CO2 variation alone was the cause. However, only three sites were examined, and one (near the Antarctic) gave very different values, so probably more is known now.
http://bluemoon.ucsd.edu/publications/ralph/3_Seasonal.pdf
“180 Years accurate CO2 – Gasanalysis of Air by Chemical Methods (Short version)”
http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/180_years_accurate_Co2_Chemical_Methods.pdf
There’s so much here, but
“There is no constant exponential rising CO2-concentration since preindustrial times but a variing CO2-content of air following the climate. E.G. around 1940 there was a maximum of CO2 of at least 420 ppm, before 1875 there was also a maximum.”
Who knows it may start to fall despite mans efforts?
Well on the bright side we will just have to have another 400 ppm C02 Beer Party when C02 realy hits 400 ppm. Al Gores 400 ppm donaters may want a refund again or will he just pump his followers for another round of donations..
Praise the Lord – we’re saved!
I would understand it if the EPA would be in favor of more CO2 not less.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm?action=browse&Rbutton=detail&bmp=126
A greener Amerika will need much more CO2 .There is no logic in the EPA’s way of thinking. Save nature by starvation.
So now we likely need to wait ’til next year.
But that’s more time for planning merch.
I suggest green “I Survived 400ppm” on grey long-sleeve thermal t-shirts.
I’d also like to see “2000ppm by 2100” t-shirts. Pro-Green.
Hmmm… so they will get to keep re-announcing this emotional number. CO2 demand from summer growth will likely bob up and down on this figure until September then will jump up worse than we thought (IWTWT)
I still wonder why MLO data should be the measure of all things.
It is also obviously, that CO2 content of the atmosphere is *not* well mixed.
Looking for some CO2 land measurements I found those curious stations:
An almost constant mean value here
http://umweltluege.de/images/co2Puszcza-Borecka-Diabla-Gora-IOEP.png
or a constant value of 341 ppm here
http://umweltluege.de/images/co2beobulgaria.png
Both datasets are from the WMO WDCGG website.
“mwhite says:
May 13, 2013 at 11:09 am
“180 Years accurate CO2 – Gasanalysis of Air by Chemical Methods (Short version)”
http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/180_years_accurate_Co2_Chemical_Methods.pdf
There’s so much here, but
“There is no constant exponential rising CO2-concentration since preindustrial times but a variing CO2-content of air following the climate. E.G. around 1940 there was a maximum of CO2 of at least 420 ppm, before 1875 there was also a maximum.”
Mount Tambora 1815 Volcanic Eruption right arount same time in early 1800’s when C02 was estimated above 400 ppm. Interesting.
With an estimated ejecta volume of 160 km3 (38 cu mi), Tambora’s 1815 outburst was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The explosion was heard on Sumatra island more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi) away. Heavy volcanic ash falls were observed as far away as Borneo, Sulawesi, Java and Maluku islands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora
As the sun is winding down and the oceans cool, the impending doomsday may be delayed till the next solar highs due about 2100 .
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/SSN.htm
Is the ~400 ppm figure simply that which has been measured at Mauna Loa? If so, what is the actual proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere? Does anybody know?
Steven Rosenberg (May 13, 2013 at 10:55 am)
Not sure if anyone has really answered you, but yes, there is an annual pattern of reducing CO2 in the NH summer which you can see if you look at monthly graphs of Maua Loa numbers – something like this:
http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/co2/csiro/CSIROCO2MAUNALOA.JPG
What I find so interesting about this is that it shows just how big the net effect of annual agriculture is – 7-8 ppm every year – something like 2% (at 400 ppm…..). So, with just the net effect of annual crops (remember that there are annual crops which are harvested in off seasons as well as a fair amount of SH annual crops), we are already swamping the yearly increases due to anthropogenic causes. I know it is all about accumulation, but really – we need to put things in a bit of perspective here (especially the panic over “400”).
Maybe Mann has been holding his breath.
Maybe he’s put a cork in it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2003824/Earth-facing-mini-Ice-Age-years-rare-drop-sunspot-activity.html
Confused yet?
MWhite: Thank you for that link. The historical CO2 info they found was — enlightening, to say the least. We’ve been assuming and need to question the assumptions about CO2 measurement. Keeler et al may be right – but this study is enough to open the issue. Was it ever published?
Premature enumeration then?
Big Beer is going to get you for bursting that bubble!
“Many scientists have warned that carbon dioxide readings must be brought down to 350 ppm to avoid severe climate impacts and stall “feedback loops” that will exacerbate the rise.”
Don’t know about your location on this globe but here in midUS it’s just fine and at 400 ppmv. So much for the 350, 350org, and the man-made “feedback loopity loops” hogwash. Good riddance.
Well, considering that the CO2 level bounced around the “upper safe limit for humanity” (350ppm) for about two years, and Hansen and McKibbin didn’t see a need to act till about 20 years after this life-threatening milestone was reached, we’ll hear several “urgent” appeals over the next couple of years.
That means we can see the t-shirts change several times: “I survived 400ppm – again”, with the dates we reach each “milestone”.
If I were a billionaire….
I would buy a rig to float in international waters (or the territorial strip of some piddly-squat client stated and establish a facility devoted to generating CO2. My goal would be to see how quickly it could be emitted and if we could manage a better output than all declining indistries of the West combined. Our target would be 4000 PPM in my lifetime.
Could it be done? What new technology specifically and solely for generating CO2 emissions would need to be devised? How much would it cost?
What the feck could anyone do about it?
Steven Rosenberg says: “…is there more CO2 and less O2 in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, etc. due to there being fewer leaves at work?”
At the same time that SH Spring is bringing salubrious weather there, raising oceanic surface temperatures and allowing more CO2 to be evolved, Fall is descending on the NH, killing leaves, and causing less CO2 to be used in photosynthesis, so CO2 goes up. And vice versa 6 months later. I suspect the more powerful mechanism is the oceanic temperature change.