Tipping Points haben ganz unangenehme Eigenschaften. Sie sind nicht exakt terminierbar, kommen unvermittelt und sind irreversibel.
The most pernicious property of tipping points is that we can’t know for sure where the point is until we have passed it. And once passed, there may be no winding back the clock. That is, if the turning point in atmospheric temperature rise is reached, a high-tech fix – say, one that employs thousands of machines to suck carbon out of the atmosphere in order to get temperatures back into the comfort range – would be too slow to stop the ice sheet from sliding into the ocean.
#HistoricalAtmosphericCO2Concentrations#KathleenWendt#ChristoBuizert#OregonStateUniversity#OSU#UniversityOfStAndrews#NSF
"...
This is the bold approach taken in a new study from Oregon State University (OSU) and University of St Andrews scientists, who, working with the US National Science Foundation, have unlocked a 50,000-year timeline of atmospheric carbon dioxide – thanks to tiny bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice, frozen in time miles below the Earth's surface.
“Studying the past teaches us how today is different," said Kathleen Wendt, an assistant professor at OSU and the study’s lead author. "The rate of CO2 change today really is unprecedented."
Using frozen samples from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core, which were extracted by drilling two miles (3.2 km) deep, the team conducted chemical analysis on the little pockets of preserved gases in the ice blocks to get a clear picture of atmospheric CO2 changes over the many, many years.
What the researchers found was that yes, there have been periods of elevated CO2 in the atmosphere far beyond 'normal' range – but those levels pale in comparison to what we're now facing thanks to anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions.
While the team identified that, over 50,000 years, the natural ebb and flow of CO2 in the atmosphere did increase by an estimated 14 parts per million across 55 years, every 7,000 years or so. Now, CO2 levels jump that same amount every five to six years.
Essentially, CO2 levels are now increasing at a rate that's 10 times faster than at any point in the last 50,000 years.
“Our research identified the fastest rates of past natural CO2 rise ever observed, and the rate occurring today, largely driven by human emissions, is 10 times higher," Wendt said.
The team's analysis has painted a clear, long-term picture of the Earth's historic atmospheric CO2 fluctuations, which also revealed spikes coinciding with North Atlantic cold intervals – or Heinrich events – that are linked to sudden and significant climate changes.
“These Heinrich events are truly remarkable,” said Christo Buizert, an associate professor at OSU and co-author of the study. “We think they are caused by a dramatic collapse of the North American ice sheet. This sets into motion a chain reaction that involves changes to the tropical monsoons, the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds and these large burps of CO2 coming out of the oceans.”
Existing climate data has forecast these westerly winds to likely become stronger and more frequent as the planet warms, and if so will reduce the all-important Southern Ocean's ability to absorb and contain human-generated CO2. Safe to say, this is not the kind of positive feedback loop that scientists want to see, as the planet continues to warm.
...
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."
““Our research identified the fastest rates of past natural CO2 rise ever observed, and the rate occurring today, largely driven by human emissions, is 10 times higher," Wendt said.
The team's analysis has painted a clear, long-term picture of the Earth's historic atmospheric CO2 fluctuations, which also revealed spikes coinciding with North Atlantic cold intervals – or Heinrich events – that are linked to sudden and significant climate changes.”
In short:
Yes, we’ve seen CO2 levels increase in the past.
No, never this fast (10x as fast as ever recorded).
Yes, the negative feedback loop will be significant.
#StopBurningStuff
THE 1.5 degrees C target for stabilization of the Earth’s globally averaged surface temperature since the Industrial Revolution is completely arbitrary. No one predicted that AMOC would be at threat under 1.5C yet here we are approaching 1.2C and…
https://lnkd.in/gQFDtirr
🌍🚨 New Study Reveals CO2 Increasing 10x Faster Than in Last 50,000 Years 🌡️
A study led by researchers from the University of St. Andrews and Oregon State University has revealed that atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing at an unprecedented rate—10 times faster than any period in the last 50,000 years.
🔬 Through detailed analysis of ancient Antarctic ice, the study sheds light on historical climate changes and emphasizes the impact of today’s human-driven emissions.
📉 Historical context: The research highlighted that natural CO2 increases during the last ice age were significantly slower, with major rises taking thousands of years. Today, similar increases occur within just five to six years.
🌪️ Heinrich Events: The study identified rapid CO2 spikes during these periods, triggered by dramatic collapses of the North American ice sheet. This caused a chain reaction affecting global climate patterns and CO2 release from oceans.
🌊 Future implications: As westerly winds strengthen due to climate change, the Southern Ocean’s capacity to absorb CO2 may diminish, intensifying the climate crisis.
Things are ramping up folks...
#ClimateChange#Research#CO2#Sustainability#EnvironmentalScience#ClimateAction
Check out our latest study on mercury trends and Ari Feinberg's great description below. It's great to have some good news on the trajectory of mercury pollution!
We have a new study out in PNAS investigating the trends of atmospheric mercury in the Northern Hemisphere over the last 3 decades 🚨🌡️📉: https://lnkd.in/en6WmsAY
We were intrigued by the contradiction between observations stations (which have generally reported declines in mercury over recent years) and emissions inventories (which suggest that anthropogenic mercury emissions have been increasing globally, based on economic data on polluting activities). This led us to ask a bunch of questions: Are mercury concentrations declining in all regions of the Northern Hemisphere? Is it possible that another emissions source, or a change in how mercury is removed from the atmosphere, is driving these observed declines?
Analyzing measurements from 51 stations in the Northern Hemisphere, we find that declines are general to almost all regions, with the overall hemispheric mercury concentrations declining 10% (!) between 2005 and 2020. Using a suite of model simulations, we investigated the potential drivers of these trends. The most probable scenario is that anthropogenic mercury emissions have actually declined, in contrast to what emissions inventories suggest.
This is good news in that the global efforts to tackle mercury pollution, such as the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury, may have been successful in slowing emissions. On the other hand, we need to better understand why current emissions inventories don’t capture this decline, so that we can accurately predict how mercury pollution will evolve in the future 🏭 💨 🐠.
Thanks to a great group of coauthors and especially my advisor at MIT (Noelle Eckley Selin)! Happy to answer any questions about our work :)
#mercury#environment#atmoschem#MakeMercuryHistory#MinamataConvention
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever—accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography announced. The period from 2022 to 2024 has seen the largest two-year jump in atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the NOAA record.
https://lnkd.in/etyAKqrm
THE 1.5 degrees C target for stabilization of the Earth’s globally averaged surface temperature since the Industrial Revolution is completely arbitrary. No one predicted that AMOC would be at threat under 1.5C yet here we are approaching 1.2C and…
"The February global surface temperature was 1.40°C (2.52°F) above the 20th-century average of 12.1°C (53.8°F), making it the warmest February on record." https://lnkd.in/eDcRtpP2
ppm is probably the most vital statistic you've never heard of.
A few hears ago I first saw it on the LinkedIn profile of Erin Remblance, Degrowth and Climate specialist.
Being the nosey type, I wondered what it was and why it mattered.
Co2 ppm “parts per million” refers to the number of carbon dioxide molecules per million molecules of dry air.
This is a vital statistic.
Scientists agree that 350 ppm is considered a safe limit to keep our climate stable.
Yet we don't hear about it.
Dr. James Hansen explains its importance and some explanation as to why we probably don't https://bit.ly/3QJoJZu
We have recently breached 420 ppm, and It transpires that when I was born ppm stood at 319.
What was the ppm when you were born?
#PPM#Statistics#ClimateAction#ClimateCrisis
So let's pick this apart because evidentally, the media has a problem reporting objectively.
Fact Check: Mixed. As the Core Samplings Show. However, the core samplings taken of the core ice shows it got extremely cold after it got warm. Additionally, the claim that it has been the hottest since 100,000 years can be debated as temperatures have not been accurately measured since the early 1900's as the 1850's were based on improperly calibrated.
Additionally, the author does not take into account that there were tropical plants that were found in the poles, additionally, the Earth was a hell of a lot hotter before the Yucatan Meteorite hit, and the post impact, and there was 20 times the amount of Co2 in the atmosphere.
We are currently at .04 PPM currently in Co2, however at .02 it will kill trees and plants that these morons want us to eat to reduce our carbon footprint. Which means all methods of food production can't happen.
So, I am fully on board to start putting these Science Deniers on a spaceship and blast their uneducated dimwit shells to another galaxy.
What https://lnkd.in/eDKwPF7e