Table of Contents
When was CO2 the highest?
about 500 million years ago
Concentrations of CO 2 in the atmosphere were as high as 4,000 parts per million (ppm, on a molar basis) during the Cambrian period about 500 million years ago to as low as 180 ppm during the Quaternary glaciation of the last two million years.
What has been the highest level of CO2 in the atmosphere?
Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2021 in May at a monthly average of 419 parts per million (ppm), the highest level since accurate measurements began 63 years ago, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of …
When was CO2 first measured?
1958
Keeling’s long-term CO2 measurements began in 1957 with the first flask collection at the South Pole. Hawaiian measurements started in March 1958. That air had 316 parts per million of CO2.
How has CO2 changed since 1961?
The atmospheric level of carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the 1960’s. In 2020, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached 414.24 parts per million, in comparison to 1960 levels which stood at about 316 parts per million.
What was the CO2 level in 1930?
1,049.05
Trends in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (ppm), CH4 (ppb) and N2O (ppb), between 1800 and 2017
| Year | CH4 (ppb) |
|---|---|
| 1925 | 1,020.2 |
| 1930 | 1,049.05 |
| 1935 | 1,076.54 |
| 1940 | 1,102.4 |
What was the CO2 level in 1900?
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| Year | CO2 (ice cores) |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 296 |
| 1901 | 296 |
| 1902 | 297 |
| 1903 | 297 |
Why did CO2 levels increase in 1950?
Then in the 1950s, a dramatic increase in the burning of fossil fuels — coal to make electricity and steel, oil for vehicles and manufacturing — vastly accelerated the rate of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere.
Where has CO2 been measured since 1956?
the Mauna Loa Observatory
Since 1956, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii has been gathering data on how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere — a very basic measure of how humans are transforming the planet and setting the stage for future climate change.
What was the CO2 level in 2015?
401.01
In 2020, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached 414.24 parts per million, in comparison to 1960 levels which stood at about 316 parts per million….
| Characteristic | Concentration in parts per million |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 404.41 |
| 2015 | 401.01 |
| 2014 | 398.87 |
| 2013 | 396.74 |
What was the CO2 level in 1920?
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| Year | CO2 (ice cores) |
|---|---|
| 1918 | 303 |
| 1919 | 303 |
| 1920 | 303 |
| 1921 | 304 |
What was the CO2 level in 1956?
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| Year | Ice cores |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 314 |
| 1957 | 315 |
| 1958 | 315 |
| 1959 |