Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide (original) (raw)

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Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide

; Eby, Michael; Brovkin, Victor et al.

2009 • In Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 37, p. 117-134

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Keywords :

Anthropogenic CO2; Airborne fraction; Neutralization

Abstract :

[en] CO2 released from combustion of fossil fuels equilibrates among the various carbon reservoirs of the atmosphere, the ocean, and the terrestrial biosphere on timescales of a few centuries. However, a sizeable fraction of the CO2 remains in the atmosphere, awaiting a return to the solid earth by much slower weathering processes and deposition of CaCO3. Common measures of the atmospheric lifetime of CO2, including the e-folding time scale, disregard the long tail. Its neglect in the calculation of global warming potentials leads many to underestimate the longevity of anthropogenic global warming. Here, we review the past literature on the atmospheric lifetime of fossil fuel CO2 and its impact on climate, and we present initial results from a model intercomparison project on this topic. The models agree that 20–35% of the CO2 remains in the atmosphere after equilibration with the ocean (2–20 centuries). Neutralization by CaCO3 draws the airborne fraction down further on timescales of 3 to 7 kyr.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Archer, David; University of Chicago > Department of Geophysical Sciences

Eby, Michael; University of Victoria > School of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Brovkin, Victor; Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

Ridgwell, Andy; University of Bristol > School of Geographical Sciences

Cao, Long; Carnegie Institution > Department of Global Ecology

Mikolajewicz, Uwe; Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

Caldeira, Ken; Carnegie Institution > Department of Global Ecology

Matsumoto, Katsumi; University of Minnesota > Department of Geology and Geophysics

Munhoven, Guy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)

Montenegro, Alvaro; University of Victoria > School of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Tokos, Kathy; University of Minnesota > Department of Geology and Geophysics

Title :

Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide

Journal title :

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Publisher :

Annual Reviews, Palo Alto, United States - California

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique

Commentary :

I am pleased to provide you complimentary one-time access to my Annual Reviews article as a PDF file (http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/eprint/TXVr5xrStR8vCEuTmECx/full/10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100206), for your own personal use. Any further/multiple distribution, publication, or commercial usage of this copyrighted material requires submission of a permission request addressed to the Annual Reviews Permissions Department, email permissions@AnnualReviews.org.

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