WATCHING MAUNA LOA

The canary in the coal mine.

Uptick in carbon dioxide is recorded at Mauna Loa
Helen Altonn, March 29, 2007 (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

WHO
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

WHAT
- A 50-year record of air measurements…shows a steady increase in carbon dioxide, with faster growth since 2005…
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 11,140-foot observatory on Mauna Loa has the longest continuous measurements of atmospheric CO2 in the world…

WHEN
- During 800,000 years of history recorded in ice cores, including big ice ages every 100,000 years, carbon dioxide cycled from 180 to 280 parts per million molecules of air…
- Around 2005, according to NOAA scientists’ readings, atmospheric carbon dioxide went to 380 parts per million…

WHERE
- Mauna Loa Observatory, Mauna Loa Peak, Island of Hawaii, state of Hawaii…

WHY
The bad news: Increased CO2 is attributable to increases burning of fossel fuels. The good news: Greenhouse gases such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons, controlled by the Montreal Protocol (a 1987 international agreement), have been declining in recent year…

QUOTES
- "The de-seasonalized, postindustrial trend in added carbon dioxide has been increasing exponentially, with a doubling time of about 32 years," according to a NOAA report on global CO2 measurements.