Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere hit new record high (to the surprise of no one)

[essentialsaltes]

There is annual variation in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, typically peaking in May. The record from the past 60 years is basically an upward climbing sawtooth, with each May exceeding the previous one.

Earth’s carbon dioxide levels hit record high, despite coronavirus-related emissions drop

The coronavirus-related economic downturn may have set off a sudden plunge in global greenhouse gas emissions, but another crucial metric for determining the severity of global warming — the amount of greenhouse gases actually in the air — just hit a record high.

According to readings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of CO2 in the air in May 2020 hit an average of slightly greater than 417 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest monthly average value ever recorded, and is up from 414.7 ppm in May of last year.

The annual high typically occurs in May before CO2 levels temporarily ebb as trees and plants in the Northern Hemisphere absorb vast quantities of the planet-warming gas during the summer growing season. Though CO2 levels exhibit a seasonal cycle, the overall upward trend is clear.

Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Georgia Tech, says the new findings underscore the need to act now. “It is a reminder that climate change is not on pause in any way, shape or form,” she said.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I think we should burn more wood. That would help greatly.

I'm ready!

 

[Hans Blaster]

I think we should burn more wood. That would help greatly.

I'm ready!

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Burning wood for energy accelerates the release of their carbon back into the atmosphere that would other wise be trapped for decades in living trees or slowly decaying on the forest floor (some carbon ends up in the soil long term as well). That said, burning wood harvested from downed trees or forest thinnings instead of fossil fuels for home heating is probably a net good thing.

[Harvesting forests for "biofuel" electricity is really not a helpful thing on the other hand.]

 

[Jonathan Walkerin]

CO2 levels temporarily ebb as trees and plants in the Northern Hemisphere absorb vast quantities of the planet-warming gas during the summer growing season.

I wonder how well they can calculate the effects of longer summer and increased vegetation in ever northern climate due to temperature rise of the planet.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Burning wood for energy accelerates the release of their carbon back into the atmosphere that would other wise be trapped for decades in living trees or slowly decaying on the forest floor (some carbon ends up in the soil long term as well). That said, burning wood harvested from downed trees or forest thinnings instead of fossil fuels for home heating is probably a net good thing.

[Harvesting forests for "biofuel" electricity is really not a helpful thing on the other hand.]

All the wood in my post is from dead trees, harvested on state land under a "fuel wood harvesting permit". Decay is 'biological burning' which releases most of the carbon into the atmosphere as co2, with no benefit for man. Very little carbon is added to the soil by trees decaying above ground. Burning wood allows some fossil fuels to remain sequestered under ground and helps to restore the 'carbon cycle' of growth and decay on the surface of earth. Also wood ash is a very good amendment to the compost pile.

It is also very enjoyable to sit next to a crackling fire on a cold winter night.

 

[Strathos]

I have seen designs for massive carbon sequestration projects. Any progress with that?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I have seen designs for massive carbon sequestration projects. Any progress with that?

I haven't heard.

 

[greatcloudlives]

The higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are very beneficial to the growth of plants specifically crops. The increase in the CO2 has been a overall one third increase in production of crops. CO2 science

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are very beneficial to the growth of plants specifically crops. The increase in the CO2 has been a overall one third increase in production of crops. CO2 science

I get an "invalid website" message regarding your link.

CO2 levels are only part of the equation. All other nutrients must be available for increased plant growth. In the case of crops these nutrients are added. However in the case of all other plant life growth is limited by the same nutrient requirements. So if we want the uncultivated fields, marshes, and forests to sequester more CO2 we have to fertilize them as well.

 

[Belk]

The higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are very beneficial to the growth of plants specifically crops. The increase in the CO2 has been a overall one third increase in production of crops. CO2 science

Citation please

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

The higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are very beneficial to the growth of plants specifically crops. The increase in the CO2 has been a overall one third increase in production of crops. CO2 science

CO2 Science is a front for the fossil fuel industry, funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation.

Your posts and links largely consist of material from such agenda-driven sites, which makes me wonder about your own motivations...

 

[istodolez]

All the wood in my post is from dead trees, harvested on state land under a "fuel wood harvesting permit". Decay is 'biological burning' which releases most of the carbon into the atmosphere as co2, with no benefit for man. Very little carbon is added to the soil by trees decaying above ground. Burning wood allows some fossil fuels to remain sequestered under ground and helps to restore the 'carbon cycle' of growth and decay on the surface of earth. Also wood ash is a very good amendment to the compost pile.

It is also very enjoyable to sit next to a crackling fire on a cold winter night.

A wood fire is nice, but, alas, not going to help fix climate change. Decay is "biological burning" only insofar that part of the wood, indeed, oxidizes. But if we humans decided that burning wood was the way to get our energy it would be little different from burning fossil fuels in that it would pump a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere in a much more rapid fashion than merely trees dying and rotting.

In either case (fossil fuels or wood) we are burning a carbon source to get energy. There are means of getting energy that don't involve that, or don't involve as much of it.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

A wood fire is nice, but, alas, not going to help fix climate change. Decay is "biological burning" only insofar that part of the wood, indeed, oxidizes. But if we humans decided that burning wood was the way to get our energy it would be little different from burning fossil fuels in that it would pump a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere in a much more rapid fashion than merely trees dying and rotting.

In either case (fossil fuels or wood) we are burning a carbon source to get energy. There are means of getting energy that don't involve that, or don't involve as much of it.

The point is to leave fossil fuels sequestered under the earth. Of course not everyone can or should burn wood, but it is an important fuel if burned correctly, and doesn't add any more CO2 than decaying produces. There's also the opportunity to sequester dead trees which would prevent huge amounts of CO2 from being added to the atmosphere. Sadly simple solutions like this aren't appealing to those who are in charge of solving the problem.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

A wood fire is nice, but, alas, not going to help fix climate change. Decay is "biological burning" only insofar that part of the wood, indeed, oxidizes. But if we humans decided that burning wood was the way to get our energy it would be little different from burning fossil fuels in that it would pump a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere in a much more rapid fashion than merely trees dying and rotting.

In either case (fossil fuels or wood) we are burning a carbon source to get energy. There are means of getting energy that don't involve that, or don't involve as much of it.

There's also the health issue of particulates from burning wood in urban areas.

 

[istodolez]

The point is to leave fossil fuels sequestered under the earth. Of course not everyone can or should burn wood, but it is an important fuel if burned correctly, and doesn't add any more CO2 than decaying produces. There's also the opportunity to sequester dead trees which would prevent huge amounts of CO2 from being added to the atmosphere. Sadly simple solutions like this aren't appealing to those who are in charge of solving the problem.

I question the foundational assumption that burning wood is on a par with simply letting it decay.

1. Burning wood puts CO2 into the atmosphere more quickly (rate is key in this topic)

2. Not all decay happens directly through immediate oxidation. Some wood is microbially digested, sometimes anaerobically if it happens in certain conditions (the coal in the ground is there because it was not immediately oxidized away but fell into an anaerobic area, as just one oversimplified example, catagenesis and diagenesis of these materials is reasonably complex)

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I question the foundational assumption that burning wood is on a par with simply letting it decay.

1. Burning wood puts CO2 into the atmosphere more quickly (rate is key in this topic)

2. Not all decay happens directly through immediate oxidation. Some wood is microbially digested, sometimes anaerobically if it happens in certain conditions (the coal in the ground is there because it was not immediately oxidized away but fell into an anaerobic area, as just one oversimplified example, catagenesis and diagenesis of these materials is reasonably complex)

I'm basing my suggestions on what I see, gazillions of tons of trees decaying above the ground, some fast, some slow. This is global as well, wherever there are forests unbelievably large amount of CO2 are being produced by fallen trees. And this CO2 source is easily mitigated.

Wood chips from dry standing dead trees can also be burned along with coal in coal-fired power plants, thus reducing the amount of coal used, with no increase in pollution.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

I'm basing my suggestions on what I see, gazillions of tons of trees decaying above the ground, some fast, some slow. This is global as well, wherever there are forests unbelievably large amount of CO2 are being produced by fallen trees.

OTOH, don't forget that a considerable percentage of the tree's biomass is underground, where it is less accessible to aerobic decay.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

OTOH, don't forget that a considerable percentage of the tree's biomass is underground, where it is less accessible to aerobic decay.

I consider the root systems already sequestered. Most of the root mass will be turned into soil very quickly unless uprooted with the tree. The fibrous parts are pretty fragile and rot quickly. Most root systems, of the trees referred to, are spread out in the shallow band of what passes for fertile soil. With no real tap roots they are subject to being toppled by strong winds. I see huge trees toppled by the winds with a very shallow root systems, often less than a foot in depth.

Also, while the 'spread' of the root system might mimic the spread of some trees, depending on the soil, the mass is nowhere near what the tree contains.

 

[Brightmoon]

Usually if you see trees that have fallen over it’s because their roots have been severely damaged long before the tree falls

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Usually if you see trees that have fallen over it’s because their roots have been severely damaged long before the tree falls

Or the whole tree has died and the roots have decayed away.