Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Abundances
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Long-Term Annual Means with IPCC Scenarios
Figure in PDF. Data: CO2 (Data through 2024, Last updated 2025/03/23) [Also comparison of A1B, etc. and RCPs from IPCC (2013) in PDF.]
Recent Mauna Loa CO2
Figure in PDF (Data through November 2024, Last updated 2024/12/05)
Data Source: Dr. Xin Lan, NOAA/GML (gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/) and Dr. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/) (https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/data.html)
Recent Global CO2
Figure in PDF (Data through December 2024, Last updated 2025/03/23)
ERL (2013) Fig. 2 and PLOS ONE (2013) Fig. 6 Update
Annnual change of CO2 (globally since 1980 and at Mauna Loa before that) compared with the annual increase of the global mean surface temperature and Nino 3.4 temperature data. Figure in PDF (Data through September 2024, Last updated 2024/12/05)
"Burden" (2017) Fig. 6 Update
Left: Comparison of the annual changes of the gloal CO2 concentration and the global mean surface temperature. Right: Correlation between the annual change of CO2 and annual change of the global mean surface temperature through December 2024. Figure in PDF (Last updated 2025/03/24)
CO2 Emissions and Airborne Fraction
The annual CO2 concentration increase has been switched from the increase of the annual mean to Jan 1 to next year Jan 1 based on 12-month running means. (last updated 2024/10/18)
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Methane (CH4)
Long-Term Annual Means with IPCC Scenarios
Figure in PDF. Data: CH4 (Data through 2023, Last updated 2024/08/12) Figure with IPCC 2013 and 2021 comparisons in PDF.
Recent Global CH4
Figure in PDF (Data through August 2024, Last updated 2024/12/05)
Data Source: Lan, X., K.W. Thoning, and E.J. Dlugokencky: Trends in globally-averaged CH4, N2O, and SF6 determined from NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory measurements. (https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends_ch4//)
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Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Long-Term Annual Means with IPCC Scenarios
Figure in PDF. Data: N2O (Data through 2023, Last updated 2024/08/12) Figure with IPCC 2013 and 2021 comparisons in PDF.
Recent Global N2O
Figure in PDF (Data through August 2024, Last updated 2024/12/05)
Data Source: 1978-2000, NOAA/GMD Halocarbon Network. 2001-2021, Lan, X., K.W. Thoning, and E.J. Dlugokencky: Trends in globally-averaged CH4, N2O, and SF6 determined from NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory measurements.
(gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends_n2o)
QBO (m/s) at 10 hPa (2020/12/09)
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Other Trace Gases
mixing ratios: 1900-1990 (2016/07/02), 1992-2022 (2024/02/29), 2015-2100, Scenario A1B (2018/03/26).
Figure in PDF. (Last modifies 2023/01/19)
forcings: 1900-1990 (2016/07/09),
1992-2022 (2024/03/01),
2011-2100, RCP Scenarios (2023/01/19),
Recent Forcing and Its Growtha
Figure in PDF (Data through 2022, Last updated 2024/03/01)
Data source: Dutton, G.S., B.D. Hall, S.A. Montzka, et al. NOAA ESRL HATS Total_Cl_Br, NOAA GMD HATS SF6 pages.
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GHG Forcings
by Doubling Abundance
CO2: 4.04 W/m2 (278 => 556 ppm),
CH4: 0.56 W/m2 (722 => 1444 ppb),
N2O: 0.87 W/m2 (270 => 540 ppb)
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Greenhouse Gas Forcing Compared with Future Scenarios
Figure also available in PDF. comparison of 1988 and Pipeline papers. Data through 2022. (Last modified: 2024/01/18)
Digital data for Scenarios A, B and C. The original figure is Fig. 2 in Hansen, Fung, Lacis, et al. 1988, "Global Climate Changes as Forecast by Goddard Institute for Space Studies Three-Dimensional Model", JGR 93, 9341-9364.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Greenhouse Gas Forcing Growth Rates
The curves in darker colors are 5-year running means through 2020 extended with 60-month running means as long as it can be computed. The lighter colors are for 58, 56, 54, ..., 14 and 12-month running means.
Figure also available in PDF.
Data through August 2024 are used (Last modified: 2024/12/07)
The original figure is Fig. 4 in Hansen and Sato 2004,
"Greenhouse gas growth rates" PNAS 101, 16109-16114.
The RCP2.6 scenario aims to limit the increase of the global mean temperature to 2oC.