In 1896, a seminal paper by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius first predicted that changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could substantially alter the surface temperature through the greenhouse effect.
In 1938, Guy Callendar (amateur scientist) had collected the records from 147 weather stations across the world and concluded that global temperatures had risen 0.3°C over the previous 50 years. He argued that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industry were mainly responsible for global warming. Remarkably, despite his crude methods, Callendar’s estimates of global warming were extremely accurate and in line with modern assessments.
In 1941, Milutin Milankovic (climatologist) speculate the long-term effects of changes in Earth's position relative to the Sun are a strong driver of Earth's long-term climate, and are responsible for triggering the beginning and end of glaciation periods (Ice Ages).
In 1956, Gilbert Plass (physicist) stated that the effects of CO2 from industrial sources as a greenhouse gas, and the potential implications of an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for global warming. He predicted : 1) that a doubling of CO2 would warm the planet by 3.6 °C 2) CO2 levels in 2000 would be 30% higher than in 1900 3) the planet would be about 1 °C warmer in 2000 than in 1900
In 1958, Dr Charles David Keeling of Scripps Institution of Oceanography was the leading authority in establishing the global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) record. In 1958, Keeling began measuring atmospheric CO2 concentrations from Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory. Over time he noticed a pattern. The air samples taken at night contained a higher concentration of CO2 compared to samples taken during the day (Keeling Curve). He designed his own apparatus and set off to a weather observation station on the top of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii.
In 1967, a team led by Syukuro Manabe of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had devised the first comprehensive model of the response of climate to an increase in atmospheric CO2 extrapolated from the Keeling Curve. It predicted that a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would cause an increase in global temperature of around 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald produced the world’s first accurate computer model of planet Earth’s climate. According to their estimate, a doubling of the CO2 content in the atmosphere has the effect of raising the temperature of the atmosphere (whose relative humidity is fixed) by about 2°C.’
Note- Syukuro Manabe is one of three scientists to have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in
Physics for his work on understanding complex systems, such as the Earth's climate.
In 1968, Dr Mercer was conducting fieldwork at the Reedy Glacier in West Antarctica when he discovered evidence of a former freshwater lake, 1,400 meters high up in the Transantarctic Mountains. Dr John Mercer, a glaciologist at Ohio State University in Columbus, warns that global warming could cause Antarctic ice sheets to collapse, leading to a disastrous rise in sea levels.
In 1969, first time Earth's temperature was measured with satellites. NASA’s Nimbus III satellite is launched into orbit – it provides the world’s first accurate measurement of global atmospheric temperatures. The Nimbus satellites revolutionized how scientists study the Earth’s climate, weather systems and atmosphere.
In 1985, Ozone Hole Discovery Scientists discover a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. The ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere naturally protects us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. So, when in 1985, three scientists from BAS reported that they had detected abnormally low levels of ozone over the South Pole, the world was shocked. Several 19-century scientists had established that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet—creating a “greenhouse effect".
Bình luận