Respiration and photosynthesis are naturally balanced, so they can’t significantly raise
carbon dioxide levels. The overall rise in carbon dioxide since 1958 must be due to other processes.
In this tab you will adjust the amount of human contribution (from the burning of fossil fuels) to
see if you can match the observed levels.
In the graph below, the blue dots show the carbon dioxide levels simulated by a model that includes
the contribution of human activities. The black triangles show the carbon dioxide levels observed at
the Mauna Loa Observatory, without any adjustments.
Human Contribution
Change the human contribution in the model to best match the observed carbon dioxide levels. Read More.
Annual Human Contribution: PPM