New Research Suggests That Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Are Increasing 10 Times Faster Than At Any Other Time Over The Last 50,000 Years

A concerning new study conducted by researchers from Oregon State University has revealed that the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is rising at an unprecedented rate in modern times.
In fact, after conducting a detailed chemical analysis of Antarctic ice, the study suggests that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are increasing 10 times faster than at any other time over the last 50,000 years.
“Studying the past teaches us how today is different. The rate of CO2 change today really is unprecedented,” said the study’s lead author, Kathleen Wendt.
“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.”
While carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, when it accumulates, it contributes to the greenhouse effect, in which gases trap heat. So, rather than escaping into space, the heat is reflected back to Earth. This trapped heat then leads to further warming of the planet.
Historically, carbon dioxide levels have varied due to ice age cycles, as well as other natural events. However, current levels have reached never-before-seen heights in response to human-caused emissions.
To measure past carbon dioxide levels, scientists actually examine ancient ice slabs. Antarctic ice, which has accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, has ancient atmospheric gases that are trapped in air bubbles.
So, for this study, the research team drilled ice core samples up to two miles deep in order to examine trace chemicals and reconstruct past climate activity records.
The last ice age concluded around 10,000 years ago, and past research on this event identified multiple periods when carbon dioxide levels spiked above average. Still, these measurements were not complete, and the cause of these increases could not be determined.

Sven Taubert – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
“You probably wouldn’t expect to see that in the dead of the last ice age. But our interest was piqued, and we wanted to go back to those periods and conduct measurements in greater detail to find out what was happening,” Wendt explained.
The researchers of the current study used ice core samples that were extracted from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide. The team discovered a pattern indicating that the rises in carbon dioxide levels coincided with North Atlantic cold intervals known as Heinrich Events. Heinrich Events were associated with sudden global climate shifts.
“These Heinrich Events are truly remarkable. 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,” said Christo Buizert, the study’s co-author.
One of the most significant increases in carbon dioxide levels saw a rise of about 14 parts per million over 55 years. Such jumps used to occur just once every 7,000 years, but now, they happen in only five or six years.
Today, these rapid increases in carbon dioxide are caused by both fossil fuels and human activities. In the past, however, westerly winds were the likely cause. These winds enhanced deep ocean circulation, causing a rapid release of carbon dioxide from the Southern Ocean.
Right now, the Southern Ocean plays a key role in absorbing human-generated carbon dioxide. But, the ocean’s ability to trap carbon dioxide will diminish if westerly winds intensify.
Other research also predicts that these westerly winds will strengthen over the next 100 years because of climate change.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, visit the link here.
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