Scary carbon dioxide levels

This simulation shows how increasing carbon dioxide levels may affect sea ice thickness at the poles

STUDY of ice extracted from deep under the Earth’s surface has revealed substantially high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Scientists have said the in-depth analysis of air bubbles trapped in the 3.2 km-long core of frozen snow in East Antarctica, the longest, deepest ice column extracted till date, shows carbon dioxide levels are at an unprecedented high, higher than at anytime in the last 8,00,000 years.

"My point would be that there’s nothing in the ice core that gives us any cause for comfort. There’s nothing that suggests that the Earth will take care of the increase in carbon dioxide.

The ice core suggests that the increase in carbon dioxide will definitely give us a climate change that will be dangerous," BBC quoted Dr Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as saying.

He said the ice core from the Antarctic territory known as Dome Concordia (Dome C), also gave valuable insight into past environmental conditions.

The Core has been drilled out by the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (Epica), a 10-country consortium. Dr Wolff was speaking at the British Associations (BA) Science Festival.

Analysis of the tiny pockets of ancient air locked into the ice core as the snowflakes accumulated, showed that carbon dioxide and temperatures rose and fell in steps.

"Ice cores reveal the Earth’s natural climate rhythm over the last 8,00,000 years. When carbon dioxide changed there was always an accompanying climate change. Over the last 200 years human activity has increased carbon dioxide to well outside the natural range, "Dr Wolff added.

The "scary thing" was the rate of change now occurring in CO2 concentrations. In the core, the fastest increase seen was of the order of 30 parts per million (ppm) by volume over a period of roughly 1,000 years. The last 30 ppm of increase has occurred in just 17 years. We really are in the situation where we don’t have an analogue in our records," he further said.

Dr Wolff said scientists were now planning to try to extend the ice-core record even further back in time.

According to them, another core near to a place known as Dome A (Dome Argus), could allow them to sample atmospheric gases up to a million and a half years ago — ANI

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