Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3: OCO-3 News

Read article: Greenhouse gas emissions from African rivers

July 21, 2015
Greenhouse gas emissions from African rivers

Twelve scientists from the University of Liege, the KU Leuven and the Research Institute for Development (France), have just completed a large-scale research project conducted over a five-year period on the African continent. >

Read article: Ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton

July 20, 2015
Ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton

Oceans have absorbed up to 30 percent of human-made carbon dioxide around the world, storing dissolved carbon for hundreds of years. >

Read article: Tropical peatland carbon losses from oil palm plantations may be underestimated

July 9, 2015
Tropical peatland carbon losses from oil palm plantations may be underestimated

Draining tropical peatlands for oil palm plantations may result in nearly twice as much carbon loss as official estimates, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment and the Union of Concerned Sci >

Read article: 'Carbon sink' detected underneath world's deserts

July 8, 2015
'Carbon sink' detected underneath world's deserts

The world's deserts may be storing some of the climate-changing carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, a new study suggests. Massive aquifers underneath deserts could hold more carbon than all the plants on land, according to the new research. >

Read article: Carbon Dioxide Levels Topped 400 PPM Throughout Northern Hemisphere In April, WMO Says

May 26, 2015
Carbon Dioxide Levels Topped 400 PPM Throughout Northern Hemisphere In April, WMO Says

GENEVA, May 26 (Reuters) - Carbon dioxide levels throughout the northern hemisphere hit 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history in April, an ominous threshold for climate change, the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday >

Read article: Global Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Milestone

May 8, 2015
Global Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Milestone

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Pieter Tans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory about greenhouse gas emissions surpassing 400 parts per million. >

Read article: First time in 800,000 years: April's CO2 levels above 400 ppm

May 6, 2015
First time in 800,000 years: April's CO2 levels above 400 ppm

Less than a year after scientists first warned that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could rise above 400 parts per million and stay there, it has finally happened. >

Read article: April Becomes 1st Month With CO2 Levels Above 400 PPM

April 29, 2015
April Becomes 1st Month With CO2 Levels Above 400 PPM

The end of April has arrived, and with it, the record for the first month in human history with an average carbon dioxide level in Earth’s atmosphere above 400 parts per million has been set. >

Read article: Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide limits soil storage

April 15, 2015
Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide limits soil storage

Soil carbon may not be as stable as previously thought, scientists report, adding that soil microbes exert more direct control on carbon buildup than global climate models represent. >

Read article: The Not So Brief History of Climate Change Science

March 23, 2015
The Not So Brief History of Climate Change Science

It’s 2015, and climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time. But while it may seem like all of this fuss over global warming is a recent phenomenon, concern over the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide in our planet’s climate has a long hist >

Read article: Amazon Absorbs Less Carbon Dioxide as Trees Die Off, Study Says

March 18, 2015
Amazon Absorbs Less Carbon Dioxide as Trees Die Off, Study Says

The Amazon rain forest has long absorbed more carbon than it releases and acted as a vital brake on climate change. An extensive study now suggests that it is losing its ability to suck up the excess carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere by hum >

Read article: Emissions by Makers of Energy Level Off

March 15, 2015
Emissions by Makers of Energy Level Off

Somebody tapped the brakes. Carbon dioxide emissions from the world’s energy producers stalled in 2014, the first time in 40 years of measurement that the level did not increase during a period of economic expansion, according to preliminary estimates... >

Read article: Hidden greenhouse emissions revealed in new report

March 10, 2015
Hidden greenhouse emissions revealed in new report

Restoration of wetlands can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown in a report that has been written in part by researchers from the University of Gothenburg. >

Read article: February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time

March 8, 2015
February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time

The 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. >

Read article: Scientists witness carbon dioxide trapping heat in air

Feb. 25, 2015
Scientists witness carbon dioxide trapping heat in air

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists have witnessed carbon dioxide trapping heat in the atmosphere above the United States, chronicling human-made climate change in action, live in the wild. >

Read article: Study: Melting glaciers have big carbon impact

Jan. 19, 2015
Study: Melting glaciers have big carbon impact

As the Earth warms and glaciers all over the world begin to melt, researchers and public policy experts have focused largely on how all of that extra water will contribute to sea level rise. >

Read article: NASA Mountaintop Sensor Finds High Methane over LA

Jan. 13, 2015
NASA Mountaintop Sensor Finds High Methane over LA

A NASA study using two years of observations from a novel mountaintop instrument finds that Los Angeles' annual emissions of methane, an important greenhouse gas, are 18 to 61 percent higher than widely used estimates. >

Read article: 2015 Begins With CO2 Above 400 PPM Mark

Jan. 12, 2015
2015 Begins With CO2 Above 400 PPM Mark

The new year has only just begun, but we’ve already recorded our first days with average carbon dioxide levels above 400 parts per million, potentially leading to many months in a row above this threshold, experts say. >

Read article: NASA Finds Good News on Forests and Carbon Dioxide

Dec. 29, 2014
NASA Finds Good News on Forests and Carbon Dioxide

A new NASA-led study shows that tropical forests may be absorbing far more carbon dioxide than many scientists thought, in response to rising atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas. >

Read article: NASA's Spaceborne Carbon Counter Maps New Details

Dec. 18, 2014
NASA's Spaceborne Carbon Counter Maps New Details

The first global maps of atmospheric carbon dioxide from NASA's new Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission demonstrate its performance and promise, showing elevated carbon dioxide concentrations across the Southern Hemisphere from springtime biomass burnin >

OCO-3 News Articles