# CO2 ‘highest for 650,000 years’

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2005/12/co2-highest-for-650000-years/
- Published: 2005-12-14T04:16:00-05:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

# Talk about Levels!

Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane in the atmosphere
are higher now. I mean than at any time in the past 650,000 years.

That is the conclusion of new European studies looking at ice taken from 3km below
the surface of Antarctica.

![Atmospheric concentrations](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/
2019/12/iceberg-antarctica-polar-blue-53389-3.jpg?resize=420%2C288&quality=52&ssl
=1 "iceberg-antarctica-polar-blue-53389-3 - The Green Living Guy")

## The scientists say their research shows present day warming to be exceptional.

Other research, also published in the journal Science, suggests that sea levels 
may be rising twice as fast now as in previous centuries.

**Treasure dome**

The evidence on atmospheric concentrations comes from an Antarctic region called
Dome Concordia (Dome C).

Epica drills have extracted ice from 3km under the Antarctic surface

By Richard Black 
 Environment Correspondent, BBC News website

According to [RealClimate](https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2005/11/650000-years-of-greenhouse-gas-concentrations/):

The latest results from the EPICA core in Antarctica have just been published this
week in _Science_ ([Siegenthaler et al](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/310/5752/1313/).
and [Spahni et al.](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/310/5752/1317/)).
This ice core extended the record of Antarctic climate back to maybe 800,000 years.
Also and the first 650,000 years of ice have now been analysed for greenhouse gas
concentrations.

For they were saved in tiny bubbles. The records for CO_(2), CH_(4) and N_(2)O both
confirm the Vostok records that have been available for a few years now, and extend
them over another 4 glacial-interglacial cycles.

This is a landmark result and a strong testament to the almost heroic efforts in
the field to bring back these samples from over 3km deep in the Antarctica ice. 
So what do these new data tell us, and where might they lead?

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
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