CARBON COUNTER

Carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are rising. Left: July 2003. Right: July 2007. Both images show the spreading of carbon dioxide around the globe as it follows large-scale patterns of circulation in the atmosphere. The color codes in these two pictures are different in order to account for the carbon dioxide increase from 2003 to 2007. If the color bar for 2003 were to be used for 2007, the resulting 2007 map would be saturated with reddish colors, and the fine structure of the distribution of carbon dioxide obscured.

Images from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL.