Summary

Human emissions are causing record concentrations of CO₂ in the atmosphere. CO₂ and other greenhouse gases trap heat and warm the planet. This visualization shows the Keeling curve – a direct visual display of our emissions altering the composition of the atmosphere. The line shows a zig zag pattern due to seasonal variation in plant activity in the Northern hemisphere.

The data 

This visualization shows the monthly mean carbon dioxide concentration, in parts per million, measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. The carbon dioxide data from Mauna Loa is the longest record of direct measurements of CO₂ in the atmosphere. The data is updated monthly with data from the Scripps CO2 Program. 

Citation

C. D. Keeling, S. C. Piper, R. B. Bacastow, M. Wahlen, T. P. Whorf, M. Heimann, and H. A. Meijer, Exchanges of atmospheric CO₂ and ¹³CO₂ with the terrestrial biosphere and oceans from 1978 to 2000. I. Global aspects, SIO Reference Series, No. 01-06, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, 88 pages, 2001.