Rewinding Earth’s Climate Clock: A Deep Dive Into 66 Million Years of CO2 Data
By UNIVERSITY OF UTAH JANUARY 7, 2024
Earth Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Chart Concept
The concentration of atmospheric CO2 is currently at a record high of 419 ppm due to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. An international team of scientists is examining geological markers to reconstruct Earth’s CO2 history, revealing that today’s levels are the highest in 14 million years. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Carbon dioxide has not been as high as today’s concentrations in 14 million years thanks to fossil fuel emissions now warming the planet.
Today atmospheric carbon dioxide is at its highest level in at least several million years thanks to widespread combustion of fossil fuels by humans over the past couple of centuries.
But where does 419 parts per million (ppm)—the current concentration of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere—fit in Earth’s history?
That’s a question an international community of scientists, featuring key contributions by University of Utah geologists, is sorting out by examining a plethora of markers in the geologic record that offer clues about the contents of ancient atmospheres. Their initial study was published recently in the journal Science, reconstructing CO2 concentrations going back through the Cenozoic, the era that began with the demise dinosaurs and rise of mammals 66 million years ago.
Glaciers contain air bubbles, providing scientists direct evidence of CO2 levels going back 800,000 years, according to U geology professor Gabe Bowen, one of the study’s corresponding authors. But this record does not extend very deep into the geological past.
https://scitechdaily.com/rewinding-earths-climate-clock-a-deep-dive-into-66-million-years-of-co2-data/
