Climate change and carbon dioxide forever

We review current understanding of the long-term increase of carbon dioxide ( CO2) in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. At equilibrium with the oceans, which will take centuries to achieve because of the slow turnover of the oceans, the atmosphere will hold about 3-4 times as much CO2as in p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 1995-09, Vol.24 (6), p.376-378
Main Authors: Tans, P.P, Bakwin, P.S. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colo. (USA). Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Lab.)
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AIR POLLUTION
Atmospherics
CAMBIO CLIMATICO
CARBON
Carbon cycle
CARBON DIOXIDE
Carbon sequestration
CARBONE
CARBONO
CICLO BIOGEOQUIMICO
Climate change
CLIMATIC CHANGE
CYCLE BIOGEOCHIMIQUE
CYCLING
DIOXIDO DE CARBONO
DIOXYDE DE CARBONE
Fossil fuels
Oceans
Paleoclimatology
POLLUTION ATMOSPHERIQUE
POLUCION DEL AIRE
Sea water
Surface water
VARIATION DU CLIMAT
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Summary:We review current understanding of the long-term increase of carbon dioxide ( CO2) in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. At equilibrium with the oceans, which will take centuries to achieve because of the slow turnover of the oceans, the atmosphere will hold about 3-4 times as much CO2as in pre-industrial times, once all estimated conventional fossil fuel reserves have been burned. For the atmosphere to return to pre-industrial CO2levels will require enhanced mineral weathering, which will take many millennia. The terrestrial biosphere (vegetation and soils) could remove at most about one third of the CO2emitted if all fossil-fuel reserves are burned. Because of the extremely long-term nature of the CO2problem, we present a case that enough is known already for society to start taking steps toward decreasing CO2emissions. We also outline a research agenda for the carbon cycle. The importance to society of any serious attempt to curb CO2emissions makes it imperative that our knowledge of the carbon cycle is very firm; it should be based on several truly independent lines of evidence.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209