2019 is off to a great start. One of the weekly year to year readings breaks into the top 50. [View all]

[NNadir]

The Mauna Loa carbon dioxide observatory maintains some data pages, one of which compares current weekly readings with the readings of the same week of the previous year. This record stretches back to May of 1975. There are 2,244 such readings as of this date.

I keep a spreadsheet of this data which allows me to compare (and sort) the data. (I also keep spreadsheets using the monthly and annual data.)

I keep my eye on the top 50 worst year to year increases.

Twenty-four of the top 50 occurred in 2016, an El Nino year. In 2016, the week ending July 31, the worst ever was recorded, 5.04 ppm over the previous year. Of the top 50, 31 occurred in the last 5 years; 37 in the last 10 years, and 40 in this century.

Eighteen readings exceeded 4.00 ppm increases, and of these 18, all but 3 have taken place including and since 2010.

The two post-El Nino years, 2017 and 2018 each produced only one reading in the top 50, and after three weeks of 2019, that figure has been matched.

The week ending January 20 of this year produced the 40th highest reading of the 2,244 readings, an increase of 3.68 ppm over the same week of the previous year, placing it in the 98th percentile for "worst ever."

We're doing just great.

All those wind turbines, solar roofs and electric cars have stopped climate change in its tracks. Or maybe not. No matter, they're cool anyway, even if trillions of dollars thrown at them has had no result. They're great for marketing, and what counts more than marketing? Nothing I think, certainly not that awful thing called "reality."

I wish you a pleasant Thursday.