Arctic CO2 levels growing at an unprecedented rate as climate change hits Arctic
April 28th, 2009Levels of CO2 at the Zeppelin research station on Svalbard, northern Norway was measured at a record high last week of over 397 parts per million (ppm), an increase of more than 2.5 ppm from 2008 and the highest figures in 50 million years.
CO2 levels recorded in Svalbard tend to be higher than the global average which is compiled from data from over 60 sites across the world and is now over 386 ppm compared to 280 ppm before the industrial revolution began in the 1800s. The Zeppelin research station on Svalbard is situated on a mountain top approximately 1100 km from the North Pole.
What is very worrying is the speed of change. Levels at Svalbard are now increasing 2-3 ppm a year, much faster than only 10-20 years ago. Never before have CO2 levels increased so fast.
The global annual mean growth rate for 2007 was 2.14 ppm – the fourth year in the past six to see an annual rise greater than 2 ppm. From 1970 to 2000, the concentration rose by about 1.5 ppm each year, but since 2000 it has risen to an average 2.1 ppm.
A report just released at a Norwegian government seminar says that extensive climate change is now affecting every form of life in the Arctic.
In the past four years, air temperatures have increased, sea ice has declined sharply, surface waters in the Arctic ocean have warmed and permafrost is in some areas rapidly thawing. In addition, plants and trees are growing more vigorously, snow cover is decreasing 1-2% a year and glaciers are shrinking.