Knowra Charles David Keeling Charles David Keeling Charles David Keeling was an American atmospheric scientist whose precise measurements revealed the seasonal cycle and long-term rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide, documented in the Keeling Curve.
Roger Revelle : An American oceanographer who directed the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and helped establish research into rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Revelle recognized the value of Keeling’s measurements and helped secure support for them.
Infrared gas analyzer : An instrument that measures gas concentration by detecting absorption of infrared radiation at characteristic wavelengths. Keeling used infrared analysis to measure carbon dioxide precisely in air samples.
Carbon cycle : The movement of carbon among Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. Keeling’s measurements tested how human activity was changing carbon movement through the atmosphere.
Climate change : Long-term changes in Earth’s climate, including shifts in temperature, precipitation, and circulation patterns. The carbon dioxide rise Keeling documented became a central indicator of human-driven climate change.
Ralph Keeling : An American geochemist who leads the Scripps carbon dioxide measurement program and studies the global carbon cycle. Keeling’s son continued and expanded the measurement record after his father’s death.
Mauna Loa Observatory : A high-altitude atmospheric research station on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, established in 1956. Its remote location became the site of Keeling’s landmark long-term measurements.
Carbon-14 : A radioactive isotope of carbon produced naturally and by nuclear reactions, used in dating and tracing carbon sources. Isotope measurements helped distinguish fossil-fuel carbon from other sources in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse effect : The warming of a planet’s surface and lower atmosphere as gases absorb and re-emit infrared radiation. Rising carbon dioxide matters because it strengthens this heat-trapping process.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography : A University of California research center in La Jolla focused on ocean, Earth, and atmospheric sciences. Keeling conducted his long-term carbon dioxide monitoring program at Scripps.
Seasonal cycle of carbon dioxide : The yearly fluctuation in atmospheric carbon dioxide, driven mainly by seasonal plant growth and decay. Keeling’s record revealed this repeating oscillation alongside the rising baseline.
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