Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hits record high monthly average

April monthly average exceeds 410 parts per million for the first time in recorded history.

The average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 410.31 parts per million (ppm) for the month of April, according to the Keeling Curve measurement series made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

This marks the first time in the history of the Mauna Loa record that a monthly average has exceeded 410 parts per million. This also represents a 30-percent increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the global atmosphere since the Keeling Curve began in 1958. In March, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego observed the 60th anniversary of the data series, the first measurements of which were 315 ppm.

Read the report by Rob Monroe from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography - “Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hits record high monthly average.”

Victoria in April 2018: very warm with below average rainfall

April was drier than average across most of Victoria, particularly in parts of East Gippsland where it was lowest on record. 

For the State as a whole this was the driest April since 1997. Victoria's daytime temperature was second-warmest on record.

Read Bureau of Meteorology report - “Victoria in April 2018: very warm with below average rainfall.”

'Sunburnt Country' discusses history and future of climate change in Australia

Award-winning climate scientist and author Joëlle Gergis will talk in April about her soon to be released book, “Sunburnt Country”.

New book by Joëlle Gergislaunched in April.

Promoting the Thursday, April 5, event, the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute said: “Gergis shares her fascinating journey through Australia to unearth our climate history.

“Her new book, Sunburnt Country, pieces together Australia’s climate history for the first time,” it said.

Listing the book, amazon.com asked, “What was Australia's climate like before official weather records began? How do scientists use tree-rings, ice cores and tropical corals to retrace the past? What do Indigenous seasonal calendars reveal? And what do settler diary entries about rainfall, droughts, bushfires and snowfalls tell us about natural climate cycles?.

“Sunburnt Country pieces together Australia's climate history for the first time. It uncovers a continent long vulnerable to climate extremes and variability. It gives an unparalleled perspective on how human activities have altered patterns that have been with us for millions of years, and what climate change looks like in our own backyard.

“Sunburnt Country highlights the impact of a warming planet on Australian lifestyles and ecosystems and the power we all have to shape future life on Earth,” Amazon added.

The April 5 discussion will be held in the Basement Theatre at the University of Melbourne’s School of Design. Those eager to attend and hear more about the new book can register here.

Victoria to get its first large-scale solar plants

The Moree solar farm in NSW uses similar
technology to the planned Victorian plants. 

After years of unfulfilled promises, Victoria is on the cusp of getting its first large-scale solar power stations. 

Three farms in the state's northwest are promised to be operating by the start of next year.

Australian company Overland Sun Farming plans to start work in April on separate fields of solar photovoltaic panels at Yatpool, Iraak and Wemen, creating about 200 construction jobs.

Read Adam Morton’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Victoria to get its first large-scale solar plants.”

Climate change making Australian drought conditions worse

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limate change is making drought conditions in southwest and southeast Australia worse, with serious ramifications for people’s health and the agriculture industry, a new paper has warned.

The Climate Council report states that since the mid-1990s, southeast Australia has experienced a 15 percent drop in rainfall during late autumn and early winter, with a 25 percent slump in average rainfall in April and May.

The Climate Central story - “Climate Change Makes Droughts in Australia Worse” – says that severe droughts were linked to a drop in agricultural productivity and a 15 percent increase in suicide risk for rural males aged between 30 and 49.

Carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa reach record highs

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he US government’s greenhouse gas monitoring site at Mauna Loa in Hawaii has confirmed that its average recorded carbon dioxide levels for February topped 400 parts per million (ppm) – the first time that this has been seen in a northern winter month.

Back in May 2013, the Hawaiian site recorded daily levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide at 400 ppm for the first time. Last year the average hit 400 ppm in April, and remained above this level for three months.

So this year, reaching 400 ppm as part of the seasonal ebb and flow of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations as early as February is another milestone.

Read the report here: “February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time”