Scientific instruments atop the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii showed that levels of carbon dioxide in the air averaged 419 parts per million in May, the annual peak, according to two separate analyses from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Those readings are about half a percent higher than the previous high of 417 parts per million, set in May 2020. Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas driving global warming and researchers have estimated that there hasn’t been this much of it in the atmosphere for millions of years.
I think it was 11 years ago when I attended a climate change summit hosted by NC WARN, featuring former NASA scientist James Hansen. At that time, atmospheric carbon was about 378 parts per million, and Hansen was adamant that we must keep it from passing the 400 mark. That was a tipping point that would very likely trigger the dissolving and subsequent release of methane hydrates in the per
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IMAGE: This schematic shows some of the location where SARS-CoV-2 s genetic signature was detected in the intensive care unit (ICU) and other hospital rooms. view more
Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences
Watching what was happening around the world in early 2020, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers knew their region would likely soon be hit with a wave of patients with COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. They wondered how the virus persists on surfaces, particularly in hospitals, and they knew they had only a small window of time to get started if they wanted to capture a snapshot of the before situation before patients with the infection were admitted.
After decades of debate, National Geographic announced on June 8, 2021, that it will officially recognize the Southern Ocean as the Earth’s fifth ocean. The proclamation coincided with the 2021 World Oceans Day, and as part of the initiative, the exploratory institution said that it would be updating its maps.
Four oceans or five? It s #WorldOceansDay and National Geographic is making a change to recognize the Southern Ocean as a fifth official ocean in our atlases and maps! https://t.co/HSHRUAyWuE
National Geographic Society’s map policy committee noted that it had been considering the change for years and made the decision to move forward after observing scientists and the press increasingly use the term the Southern Ocean.