Skip to main content
Log in

The pre-industrial carbon dioxide level

Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent indirect data and direct measurements from ice cores point towards a ‘pre-industrial’ CO2 level of around 260–270 ppmv, considerably below the commonly assumed value of 290 ppmv. Early measurements from the southern hemisphere tend to favour the lower value.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baes, C. F. Jr.: 1981, ‘The Response of the Oceans to Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide’, Inst. for Energy Analysis Research Memorandum, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORAU/IEA- 81-6(M) (available from NTIS).

  • Bolin, B.: 1977, ‘Changes of Land Biota and their Importance for the Carbon Cycle’,Science 196 613–615.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolin, B. and Keeling, C. D.: 1963, ‘Large Scale Atmospheric Mixing as Deduced from the Seasonal and Meridional Variations of Carbon Dioxide’,J. Geophys. Res. 68, 3899–3920.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, J. R.: 1959, ‘An Analysis of the Possible Recent Change in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration’,Tellus 11, 220–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, P. G.: 1978, ‘Direct Observation of the Oceanic CO2 Increase’,Geophys. Res. Letters 5, 997–1000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broecker, W. S., Takahashi, T., Simpson, H. J., and Peng, T.-H.: 1979, ‘The Fate of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide and the Global Carbon Budget’,Science 206, 409–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callendar, G. S.: 1940, ‘Variations in the Amount of Carbon Dioxide in Different Air Currents’,Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 66, 395–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callendar, G. S.: 1958, ‘On the Amount of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere’,Tellus 10, 243–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. T. and Millero, F. J.: 1979, ‘Gradual Increase of Oceanic Carbon Dioxide’,Nature 277, 205- 206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francey, R. J. and Farquhar, G. D.: 1982, ‘An Explanation of13C/12C Variations in Tree Rings’,Nature 297, 28–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, P. J., Pearman, G. I., and Hyson, P.: 1983, ‘The Global Distribution of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: 2. A Review of Provisional Background Observations, 1978–1980’,J. Geophys. Res. 88, 3591–3598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliland, R.: 1982, ‘Solar, Volcanic, and CO2 Forcing of Recent Climatic Changes’,Climatic Change 4, 111–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, J., Johnson, D., Lacis, A., Lebedeff, S., Lee, P., Rind, D., and Russell, G.: 1981, ‘Climate Impact of Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide’,Science 213, 957–966.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keeling, C. D.: 1978a, ‘The Influence of Mauna Loa Observatory on the Development of Atmospheric CO2 Research’, in J. Miller (ed.),Mauna Loa Observatory, a 20th Anniversary Report, U.S. Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 36–54.

  • Keeling, C. D.: 1978b, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide in the 19th Century’,Science 202, p. 1109 (comment on Stuiver (1978) with reply by Stuiver).

    Google Scholar 

  • Keeling, C. D., Bacastow, R. B., Bainbridge, A. E., Ekdahl, C. A., Guenther, P. R., Waterman, L. S., and Chin, J. F. S.: 1976a, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Variations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii’,Tellus 28, 538–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keeling, C. D., Adams, J. A., Ekdahl, C. A., and Guenther, P. R.: 1976b, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Variations at the South Pole’,Tellus 28, 552–564.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müntz, A. and Aubin, E.: 1886, ‘Recherches sur la constitution chemique de l'atmosphère, d'après les expériences de M. le Dr. Hyades’,Mission Scientifique du Cap Horn 1882–1883, Tome III (2), Paris, Gauthier-Villars. (See also the authors' summary inRep. Acad. Sci. (Paris)98, 487–494 (1884)).

    Google Scholar 

  • Neftal, A., Oeschger, H., Schwander, J., Stauffer, B., and Zumbrunn, R.: 1981, ‘Ice Core Sample Measurements Give Atmospheric CO2 during the past 40 000 yr’,Nature 295, 220–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearman, G. I. and Hyson, P.: 1980, ‘Activities of the Global Biosphere as Reflected in Atmospheric CO2 Records’,J. Geophys. Res. 85, 4468–4474.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearman, G. I., Hyson, P., and Fraser, P. J.: 1983, ‘The Global Distribution of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: 1. Aspects of Observations and Modeling’,J. Geophys. Res. 88, 3581–3590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiller, A. M.: 1981, ‘Calculating the Oceanic CO2 Increase: A Need for Caution’,J. Geophys. Res. 86, 11083–11088.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanhill, G.: 1982, ‘The Montsouris Series of Carbon Dioxide Concentration Measurements, 1877– 1910’,Climatic Change 4, 221–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuiver, M.: 1978, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Reservoir Changes’,Science 199, 253–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodwell, G. M., Whittaker, R. H., Reiners, W. A., Likens, G. E., Delwiche, C. C., and Botkin, D. B.: 1978, ‘The Biota and the World Carbon Budget’,Science 199, 141–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • W.M.O., (World Meteorological Organization): 1981, On the Assessment of the Role of CO2 on Climate Variations and their Impact, Report of a joint WMO/ICSU/UNEP meeting of experts, Villach, Austria, Nov. 1980, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, 29 pp.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wigley, T.M.L. The pre-industrial carbon dioxide level. Climatic Change 5, 315–320 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423528

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423528

Keywords

Navigation