Atmospheric CO2 at highest point in 800,000 years

[Imploding Turtle]

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keeli ... y-average/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope one day we find out what is causing it. But for now it remains a mystery.

[Vino blanco]

Who was there to measure it 800,000 years ago?

[Imploding Turtle]

Who was there to measure it 800,000 years ago?

800,000 year old air still exists in some glacial ice, and we can measure its CO2 content.

Next question.

[dsr]

800,000 year old air still exists in some glacial ice, and we can measure its CO2 content.

Next question.

How do they know how old the ice is?

[Imploding Turtle]

How do they know how old the ice is?

http://bfy.tw/HzBT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dazzler]

All these climate doom mongers get me down,so to cheer myself up a bit I listen to chaps such as these two..
https://youtu.be/FBF6F4Bi6Sg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://youtu.be/AEYuYCKv5Vo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit
How could I leave out the late great Hitch.
https://youtu.be/58Jd-oNZEZc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A quote from that video.
"......We're going to find out no matter what we do" {?}

[dsr]

http://bfy.tw/HzBT

Is that why you asked for questions? So you can show what a clever dick you are?

[Taffy on the wing]

Is that why you asked for questions? So you can show what a clever dick you are?

No it's to show what an ignorant cnut you and your ilk are!
Next question!

[randomclaret2]

Enjoy the nice weather over the Bank Holiday weekend folks. Try not to lose too much sleep over the latest gem IT has dug up from the internet.

[Hipper]

Whether anyone likes it or not this is not good. Dramatic changes in atmosphere, hence weather/climate are not good for civilisation.

Sea level rises currently are just flooding a few far away islands with people we don't care about but it will eventually lead to very costly infrastructure works in the UK. Things may appear to be changing steadily suggesting we can adjust over time but many theorise that there are tipping points leading to sudden changes - for us the gulf stream/North Atlantic oscillation is an obvious one. Crop production is a key risk.

We as a species have identified the problem, found its cause (ultimately population growth) yet have failed abysmally to do practically anything about it.

[mdd2]

IT, you seem a pretty switched on guy- there must be stats as to how much in terms of tonnage the human race produces per year. On the basis of 14 breaths/minute, 400ml of air expired in each breath, 4%CO2 in expired air and 7 billion people. Rounded up that is 7.5million breathes per person per year 3 million litres of air. That would be 120,000 litres of CO2. I have googled CO2 density which is 1.977g/l at 1atmosphere and 20c.Round up to 2g/l that is 240 tons per year per person.So 7 billion of us produce 168 billion tons of CO2.
That correct IT?
If the average car produces 6 tons per annum or 180 million tons from 30 million UK cars the 65 million of us produce 1.56 billion tons.
Must be some errors there for you to correct IT, but it seems just breathing by the 7 billion of us is worse that the motor car

Yes there is a big error a metric ton is 1000kg not 1,000g so we produce 0.24 tons per person or 168 million tons and we in the UK produce 1.55 million tons/annum.
Phew, no need to stop breathing just yet, but we should live life in the slow lane

[Imploding Turtle]

http://bfy.tw/HzBT

No. Because I thought Vino's question was incredibly stupid and i was being sarcastic.

Your question was at least a good question, but based on out interactions over this subject in the past I have no expectation that you ask it in good faith. That's why i redirected you.

[bfcjg]

Could the massive volcanic eruption in Hawaii have contributed ? The climate is changing and if it is driven by man we are obliged to sort it. Clean energy is a start but we have to start reforesting. Some African countries and China are starting mainly due to land erosion. Should have massive carbon scrubbers in all industrialised countries.

[walter the softy]

Who was there to measure it 800,000 years ago?

You did not actually need someone there at the time to measure it as the scientific method behind the analysis of previous climates is remarkably simple in its methodology. Even a layman like myself can understand it so I hope I can explain it well.

Every passing year leaves behind a new layer of ice in Antartica. This new layer of ice can be distinguished from the previous year's layer of ice. By drilling deep into the ice, the scientists can retrieve samples of ice going back into pre-historic times. Within those ice samples are tiny pockets of air. The scientists then analyse these air pockets to get an accurate picture of previous climates.

[mdd2]

CO2 was 0.03% when I was at school and less than 800,000 years ago and in 60 years we have reached 0.04% and that is one hell of a rise.
I imagine 800,000 years ago C02 was falling and in all probability oxygen rising from plant life. At the back of my mind is a stat that oxygen on earth was in part due to plant life. We have been putting trapped carbon back into the atmosphere for about 300 years by increasing amounts each year as the population increases and our energy consumption rises.
Volcanoes help but have been doing so for millions of years and will be a small blip on our contribution to it

[Jel]

I blame lager drinkers!

[Hipper]

CO2 was 0.03% when I was at school and less than 800,000 years ago and in 60 years we have reached 0.04% and that is one hell of a rise.
I imagine 800,000 years ago C02 was falling and in all probability oxygen rising from plant life. At the back of my mind is a stat that oxygen on earth was in part due to plant life. We have been putting trapped carbon back into the atmosphere for about 300 years by increasing amounts each year as the population increases and our energy consumption rises.
Volcanoes help but have been doing so for millions of years and will be a small blip on our contribution to it

Effectively all the oxygen in the atmosphere is plant sourced:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologica ... _of_oxygen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dyched]

You did not actually need someone there at the time to measure it as the scientific method behind the analysis of previous climates is remarkably simple in its methodology. Even a layman like myself can understand it so I hope I can explain it well.

Every passing year leaves behind a new layer of ice in Antartica. This new layer of ice can be distinguished from the previous year's layer of ice. By drilling deep into the ice, the scientists can retrieve samples of ice going back into pre-historic times. Within those ice samples are tiny pockets of air. The scientists then analyse these air pockets to get an accurate picture of previous climates.

Must be a mega drill bit.

[IanMcL]

Thought it was a complaint about some new arena!

[claret59]

The figure of 800.000 years seems remarkably precise. Could it be 799.999 years by any chance?

[brexit]

Or just maybe for the past 800000 years the planet has been too cold and we are going back to the equilibrium temperature of the earth.

[Imploding Turtle]

Or just maybe for the past 800000 years the planet has been too cold and we are going back to the equilibrium temperature of the earth.

lol. See? There are funny conservatives.

[Flatline]

How thick is the ice that they measure to calculate a year?

[ClaretCliff]

[quote="Hipper"]Whether anyone likes it or not this is not good. Dramatic changes in atmosphere, hence weather/climate are not good for for civilisation [\quote]
Perhaps I'm missing something, but if this is the highest reading since 800,000 years ago then that doesn't sound like a dramatic change to me

[Hipper]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but if this is the highest reading since 800,000 years ago then that doesn't sound like a dramatic change to me

Depends what you are comparing it to I suppose. Conditions have been worse on earth, of that there's no doubt, but we need conditions that can sustain our current way of life - our civilisation. Civilisation has only been around 10,000 years at most. That is the concern.

[mdd2]

Depends what you are comparing it to I suppose. Conditions have been worse on earth, of that there's no doubt, but we need conditions that can sustain our current way of life - our civilisation. Civilisation has only been around 10,000 years at most. That is the concern.

And the way we are going it won't be around in another 10,000 years.
Nature will sort it I imagine and at some point the size of the human population will fall dramatically as seas rise and new diseases appear food and water supplies fall, as the climate hots up.