Question

1. If, as of March 2017, we had about 407ppm of atmosphere CO2 and we continue to increase the amount of CO2 at the rate of about 2ppm. How many years will it take to reach 450ppm?

Climate Change Activity Climate Change and the Spread of Disease Vectors Is there global warming? Bellevue College meteorologist Kent Short provides a "Global Warming Up-date" every January. The current up-date (for 2017) stresses the trends during the 21st century where the 117 years of this century are among the 18 warmest on record. During January of 2018, 4 high temperature records were broken and when the temperature hit 73 on 3/13/18 It was not only a record breaking temperature but also the earliest date ever recorded for a temperature in our region reaching 70° or over. (See the current "Global Warming Up-date" handout or click the following link http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/ks/Global%20Warming%20Update%20Jan%202018.pdf What's the source of global warming? Whereas we've seen global temperatures cycle in the past due to the earth's relationship to the sun, volcanism etc., we've broken the natural cycle by continuing to escalate the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. From the Mauna Loa CO2 data in the chart below, note that near the year 1850, close to the beginning of the industrial revolution, the repeating cycle of ice ages stops (the troughs represent low cos/cold temperatures) with dramatic escalation in the amount of CO2 and subsequent warming after the last ice age. In May 2013 the parts per million (ppm) of CO2 hit 400ppm and then moved past it in 2015 to reach 406.92ppm by 2017. It's predicted that when CO2 reaches 450ppm the Arctic Ocean will be ice free. Latest Co, reading 406.92 ppm March 18, 2017 Ice-core data before 1958. Mauna Loa data after 1958. co, Concentration (ppm) M WWW. 150

Answer 1

According to the problem,

Initial concentration of atmospheric CO2  on March 2017= 407ppm

Rate of increase of the concentration = 2ppm

Now if we take the rate of change of increase in the concentration of CO2 as constant,

Then after , let's say, T years, the level will reach 450ppm(as given in the problem)

Hence,

CO2 level in 2017+ (rate of increase X T) = Final concentration

or, 407 + (2T) = 450ppm

or, 2T = (450-407)ppm

or, T = 43ppm/2

or, T = 21.5 years

Ans: It would take 21.5 years to reach the CO2 concetration at 450ppm