Rtuffli: SIGNAL publish from draft v474

2026-05-31T02:09:06Z

SIGNAL publish from draft v474

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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
|+ SIGNAL Earth Structured Data
|-
! Object type
| Damage Signal
|-
! SIGNAL Earth ID
| DS-00698
|-
! Observable type
| Atmospheric CO2 accumulation flux
|-
! Unit
| PgC/year (petagrams of carbon per year)
|-
! Temporal structure
| Annual
|-
! Monitoring backbone
| NOAA/Scripps atmospheric CO2 network
|}


The {{SignalTerm|type=DS|id=DS-00698|label=Global annual atmospheric CO2 growth}} represents the yearly increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide within Earth's atmosphere. This increase is a critical component of the global carbon budget, reflecting the net balance between CO2 sources and sinks on an annual basis. Understanding this growth is essential for assessing the progression of anthropogenic climate change and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts.

Atmospheric CO2 is a key greenhouse gas influencing Earth's energy balance and climate system. The annual growth rate provides insight into the dynamics of carbon emissions from human activities, natural processes such as respiration and ocean exchange, and the capacity of terrestrial and oceanic carbon sinks. Monitoring this growth supports climate modeling, policy evaluation, and environmental research.

This phenomenon is observed globally, integrating contributions from diverse geographic regions and ecosystems. It is expressed as a flux in petagrams of carbon per year (PgC/year), quantifying the net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over each calendar year.

== Geographic / System Context ==
The global annual atmospheric CO2 growth encompasses the entire Earth's atmosphere, integrating carbon dioxide fluxes across all continents, oceans, and atmospheric layers relevant to surface exchange processes. This signal reflects the cumulative effect of emissions and removals from diverse geographic systems including urban and industrial regions, forests, agricultural lands, oceans, and other natural environments. The global scope allows for comprehensive assessment of carbon cycle dynamics without regional partitioning, capturing the net atmospheric accumulation resulting from worldwide processes.

== Monitoring and Measurement ==
The monitoring of global atmospheric CO2 growth relies on a network of atmospheric observation stations coordinated primarily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration NOAA]) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. These stations measure atmospheric CO2 concentrations using standardized high-precision instrumentation, including infrared gas analyzers and flask sampling. Data from multiple sites worldwide are aggregated to estimate the global mean CO2 concentration and its annual change.

Measurement conventions follow internationally recognized protocols to ensure consistency and comparability. The annual growth rate is derived from continuous and discrete observations, calibrated against reference standards. This monitoring backbone supports long-term climate research and carbon budget assessments.

Within the SIGNAL system, this phenomenon is treated as a defined environmental signal whose boundaries and measurement conventions are described below.

== Signal Definition ==
The global annual atmospheric CO2 growth is defined as the net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide mass over a one-year period, expressed as an accumulation flux in petagrams of carbon per year (PgC/year). It quantifies the annual change in the atmospheric CO2 reservoir, representing the difference between total CO2 emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources and the uptake by terrestrial and oceanic sinks.

== Boundary Conditions ==
Boundary inclusions encompass all sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2 on a global scale, including anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel combustion, land-use change, and cement production, as well as natural fluxes such as respiration, photosynthesis, ocean-atmosphere exchange, and volcanic activity. The signal includes CO2 measured in the well-mixed lower atmosphere relevant to surface exchange.

Boundary exclusions include localized or short-term CO2 concentration variations unrelated to net annual fluxes, such as diurnal or seasonal fluctuations, and CO2 contained in other carbon pools like soil organic matter or dissolved inorganic carbon in the ocean. The signal does not separately account for isotopic composition or other greenhouse gases.

== Aggregation Semantics ==
Geographically, the signal aggregates CO2 fluxes globally, integrating measurements from multiple monitoring sites to represent the entire Earth's atmosphere without regional subdivision. Temporally, the signal is aggregated on an annual basis, capturing the net change over each calendar year to smooth short-term variability and seasonal cycles.

Cross-signal aggregation involves relating this signal to other carbon cycle components, such as fossil fuel emissions, land-use change fluxes, and oceanic carbon uptake, to construct comprehensive carbon budgets. The aggregation semantics ensure consistent integration across spatial and temporal scales to support global carbon cycle assessments.

== Observational Status ==
The global annual atmospheric CO2 growth is continuously monitored with high precision by the NOAA/Scripps atmospheric CO2 network, providing a robust and consistent dataset spanning multiple decades. Current observations enable detection of interannual variability and long-term trends in atmospheric CO2 accumulation.

Future SIGNAL releases may incorporate refined boundary definitions, improved integration with related carbon cycle signals, and enhanced temporal resolution. Ongoing methodological developments aim to reduce uncertainties and better characterize causal factors influencing annual CO2 growth.

== Related Signals ==
* None specified


== Key Associated People ==
* '''Pierre Friedlingstein''' — Steward-candidate (University of Exeter) [Lead author]



== Sources ==
* [https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/965/2025/ Global Carbon Budget 2024 — 2025]

Global annual atmospheric CO2 growth - Revision history

Rtuffli: SIGNAL publish from draft v474