Carbon dioxide levels set new record in March: NOAA

Washington: A new data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed that our planet Earth has exceeded the highest ever recorded level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere surpassing 400 parts per million (ppm) in March, 2015.

The data showed that the CO2 concentrations hit 400.83 ppm in March 2015, an increase from the 398.10 ppm recorded in March 2014.

“We first reported 400 ppm when all of our Arctic sites reached that value in the spring of 2012. In 2013 the record at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory first crossed the 400 ppm threshold,” Pieter Tans, lead scientist of NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, said in a statement.

He said while significant rise in CO2 concentration was seen post industrialisation, reaching 400 ppm as a global average is a significant milestone.

Tans added that nearly 300 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is suitable for the Earth, but CO2 concentration has risen by more than 120 ppm since pre-industrialisation on a global scale.

The swift rise in the CO2 concentrations has been attributed by the growth of global emissions from fossil fuel burning.

The NOAA's estimate was based on air samples taken from 40 sites globally that includes a number of remote islands.

NOAA is an American scientific agency that focuses on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. It warns of dangerous weather, charts seas and skies, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research to improve understanding and stewardship of the environment.