Knowra Keeling Curve Keeling Curve The Keeling Curve is the continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory since 1958. Its rising trend and annual oscillations reveal long-term accumulation and seasonal exchange of carbon.
Seasonal carbon cycle : The recurring movement of carbon among the atmosphere, land, and oceans over the seasons. Northern Hemisphere plant growth and decay produce the curve’s annual rise and fall.
Charles David Keeling : An American geochemist who established precise, continuous measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. His measurements at Mauna Loa created the record later named for him.
Global Carbon Project : An international research collaboration that quantifies global carbon emissions, sinks, and their changing balance. Its carbon-budget assessments use atmospheric observations to track the fate of emissions.
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory : A United States research laboratory that monitors atmospheric composition and greenhouse gases. NOAA maintains the Mauna Loa record alongside the Scripps measurements.
Photosynthesis : The process by which organisms use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic matter. Growing vegetation draws carbon dioxide from the air during the curve’s seasonal decline.
Mauna Loa Observatory : A research station on the northern slope of Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Its remote, elevated location became the site of the curve’s continuous measurements.
Global carbon budget : An accounting of carbon sources and sinks, including emissions, ocean uptake, and land uptake. The curve constrains how much emitted carbon remains in the atmosphere.
NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network : A network measuring greenhouse-gas concentrations at sites around the world. Its global observations place Mauna Loa’s record in a broader atmospheric context.
Fossil fuel combustion : The burning of coal, oil, or natural gas to release energy and carbon dioxide. Emissions from combustion drive much of the curve’s long-term upward trend.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography : A marine science research institution at the University of California, San Diego. Keeling’s program there produced a parallel atmospheric carbon dioxide record.
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