NOAA contributes key carbon dioxide data to global carbon assessment

The release of Global Carbon Budget 2014 coincided with the UN Climate Summit in New York on Sept. 23, 2014.  The global report measures carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and land environment draws heavily from data and observations by NOAA research scientists and their partners.

For the first time, the Global Carbon Budget report uses data obtained from autonomous instruments on ships of opportunity and moorings that measure carbon dioxide at the surface of the ocean.

NOAA research scientists and academic collaborators with sustained funding from the Climate Observations Division of NOAA’s Climate Program Office have been on the forefront of developing a global surface ocean carbon dioxide observing network to measure ocean carbon dioxide sources and sinks. NOAA and partners have contributed over half of the data in open access international global databases.