'Sudden jump' in greenhouse gases
LONDON, England -- A U.S. scientist is reported to have observed a surprising jump in the amount of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.
The Guardian and the Independent newspapers said on Monday the finding was the first time the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere had risen by more than two parts per million over two consecutive years.
The rise cannot be explained by any corresponding increase in CO2 emissions from power stations or motor vehicles because there has been none, the Independent said.
Some scientists believe the abrupt rise may be evidence of the climate change "feedback" mechanism, by which global warming alters the earth's natural systems causing warming to increase even faster than before, according to the report.
Details of the increase came from an observatory 4,000 meters (12,000ft) up a mountain in Hawaii, which has been measuring the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere since 1958.
The average rise in CO2 levels has been about 1.6 parts per million by volume in recent decades, although there have been several peaks associated with El Nino -- a disruptive weather pattern in the tropical Pacific.
However, in the last two years the level has risen by 2.08ppm and 2.54ppm and neither were El Nino years.
Dr. Charles Keeling, the American physicist in charge of the project in Hawaii, told the newspaper the rise might be something to do with a pattern of high and low atmospheric pressure, known as the Southern Oscillation, or it could be something new.
"The rise in the annual rate of CO2 increase to above two parts per million for two consecutive years is a real phenomenon," he said.
"It is possible this is merely a reflection of the Southern Oscillation, like previous peaks in the rate, but it is possible it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in records."
Only last month UK Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered an impassioned speech warning of the "catastrophic consequences" climate change could bring.
He insisted timely action must be taken now to avert potential disaster brought about by rising temperatures.
In his speech, Blair said the emission of greenhouse gases was causing global warming "at a rate that began as significant, has become alarming and is simply unsustainable in the long-term."
The Guardian said the figures would be discussed Tuesday at a Greenpeace conference in London attended by Blair's scientific adviser, David King.
