Record surge in atmospheric CO2 seen in 2016

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Record surge in atmospheric CO2 seen in 2016

By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

30 October 2017 Science & Environment

Concentrations of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere surged to a record high in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Last year's increase was 50% higher than the average of the past 10 years.

Researchers say a combination of human activities and the El Niño weather phenomenon drove CO2 to a level not seen in 800,000 years

Scientists say this risks making global temperature targets largely unattainable.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41778089

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Thank you for posting vital news. . . . nt

[JayhawkSD]

2. There is a good bit about theis article that doesn't make sense.

It doesn't say how or why El Nino increases atmospheric CO2 levels. Given the impact that it it imputes to that event, it should provide at least a hint as to the connection between warmer sea surface temperatures and an in increase atmospheric CO2 levels, because none is inherently obvious to a nonscientist.

They are citing El Nino as one cause of abnormally high increase in CO2 in 2016, but the El Nino to which they are presumably referring peaked in late 2015 and sea surface temps were back to normal or below by May of 2016, with a La Nina developing by the fall season of that year.

BBC science articles are often badly written, I think they hire third-graders to write them, but this piece is poor even for them.

[NickB79]

3. It's fairly easy to find online

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6360/eaam5776

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-satellite-reveals-source-of-el-nino-fueled-carbon-dioxide-spike/