Earth station: Mauna Loa mountain top

The graph below displays a 44 year measurment of carbon dioxide

60 percent increase in those years over the base year of 1958

1.36% average yearly increase over four decades.

earth change monitoring | long term ecological research | close to home

Charles David Keeling, noted JIMO researcher, was awarded the National Medal of Science in a White House
presentation on 13 June 2002 for his lifetime achievement in scientific research. His significant studies of the
carbon cycle and the increase of atmospheric CO2, have been a pivotal marker in the study of global climate
change. Keeling's scientific contributions have affected the scientific, economic and social challenges which
confront us today and well into the future.

Keeling was the first to model the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The "Keeling curve" (Figure)
encapsulates 45 years of time of series measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide taken atop Mauna Loa,
Hawaii. His data confirmed that the increased accumulation of carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels
and other industrial products, contributed to the greenhouse effect. Under Keeling's current JIMO research,
which is a continuum of his lifetime study of the global carbon cycle, he is developing measurement techniques
in analyzing Ar/N2 ratios.

Accumulating evidence

The "Keeling Curve" confirms a steady increase in carbon dioxide levels
contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Besides his interests in atmospheric chemistry and geochemistry, his comprehensive study of the effects of tidal
mixing on climate change spans a 1,000-year period. According to Keeling, strong oceanic tides are the engines
behind the warming-cooling cycle that may help determine future climate change.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Keeling received his B.A. degree n chemistry from the University of Illinois in
1948 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1954. Keeling joined the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in 1956. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical
Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Obituary
Pioneering climate scientist Charles David Keeling died Monday, June 20, 2005. Keeling was best known for his precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide, charted above in the Keeling curve, one of the most recognizable images in modern science. The measurements show the steady rise of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere over a forty seven year period (1958-2005). Regular wobbles reflect the inhalation and exhalation of the Earth as plants grow, absorbing carbon in the summer and spring, and decay, releasing carbon in the fall and winter. The measurements shown in this curve represent the world’s longest continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide and were the first to confirm the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels. As such, this is considered to be among the most important time-series data sets for the study of global climate change.
In a June 22 press release from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography — the organization that funded Keeling’s work and with which Keeling had been affiliated since 1956 — the current director, Charles F. Kennel, praised Keeling’s research with the following words: “Charles David Keeling’s measurements of the global accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere set the stage for today’s profound concerns about climate change. They are the single most important environmental data set taken in the 20th century. David Keeling was living proof that a scientist could, by sticking close to his bench, change the world.”	The data were collected at the Mauna Loa Observatory, perched 3,397 meters (11,140 feet) above sea level on the northern slopes of Earth’s largest volcano, away from dense vegetation or human population that might skew the measurements. The bare volcanic landscape surrounding the observatory is shown in the photo inset.

Keeling received the National Medal of Science, the United States’ highest award for lifetime achievement in scientific research, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and many other awards for his work. To read more about his life and research, see “Climate
Science Pioneer: Charles David Keeling” on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography web site.

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ Newsroom/NewImages/...

• Parairie types in North America as an example of anticipated responses due to loss of soil moisture, irregular precipitation and temperature cnages.
• The Vostock ice cores have been analyzed for atmospheric CO2 content over the last 1000 years. They show fairly steady CO2 levels until the time of large-scale industrialization. The dashed portion of the curve is the Keeling curve from above.

Links

http://astro.wsu.edu/worthey/earth/html/md-climate.html

National Academy of Science: NAS Council Statement on Petition on Global Change

U.S. EPA Global Warming: Climate Change and Florida

FICUS Florida Internet Center for Understanding Sustainablilty