IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v165y2021i1d10.1007_s10584-021-03001-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Observations of greenhouse gases as climate indicators

Author

Listed:
  • Lori Bruhwiler

    (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

  • Sourish Basu

    (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
    Universities Space Research Association)

  • James H. Butler

    (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

  • Abhishek Chatterjee

    (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
    Universities Space Research Association)

  • Ed Dlugokencky

    (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

  • Melissa A. Kenney

    (University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment)

  • Allison McComiskey

    (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Environmental & Climate Sciences Department)

  • Stephen A. Montzka

    (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

  • Diane Stanitski

    (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

Abstract

Humans have significantly altered the energy balance of the Earth’s climate system mainly not only by extracting and burning fossil fuels but also by altering the biosphere and using halocarbons. The 3rd US National Climate Assessment pointed to a need for a system of indicators of climate and global change based on long-term data that could be used to support assessments and this led to the development of the National Climate Indicators System (NCIS). Here we identify a representative set of key atmospheric indicators of changes in atmospheric radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases (GHGs), and we evaluate atmospheric composition measurements, including non-CO2 GHGs for use as climate change indicators in support of the US National Climate Assessment. GHG abundances and their changes over time can provide valuable information on the success of climate mitigation policies, as well as insights into possible carbon-climate feedback processes that may ultimately affect the success of those policies. To ensure that reliable information for assessing GHG emission changes can be provided on policy-relevant scales, expanded observational efforts are needed. Furthermore, the ability to detect trends resulting from changing emissions requires a commitment to supporting long-term observations. Long-term measurements of greenhouse gases, aerosols, and clouds and related climate indicators used with a dimming/brightening index could provide a foundation for quantifying forcing and its attribution and reducing error in existing indicators that do not account for complicated cloud processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Lori Bruhwiler & Sourish Basu & James H. Butler & Abhishek Chatterjee & Ed Dlugokencky & Melissa A. Kenney & Allison McComiskey & Stephen A. Montzka & Diane Stanitski, 2021. "Observations of greenhouse gases as climate indicators," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 1-18, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:165:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-021-03001-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-03001-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-021-03001-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-021-03001-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melissa A. Kenney & Anthony C. Janetos & Glynis C. Lough, 2016. "Building an integrated U.S. National Climate Indicators System," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 85-96, March.
    2. Laetitia Loulergue & Adrian Schilt & Renato Spahni & Valérie Masson-Delmotte & Thomas Blunier & Bénédicte Lemieux & Jean-Marc Barnola & Dominique Raynaud & Thomas F. Stocker & Jérôme Chappellaz, 2008. "Orbital and millennial-scale features of atmospheric CH4 over the past 800,000 years," Nature, Nature, vol. 453(7193), pages 383-386, May.
    3. H. Damon Matthews & Nathan P. Gillett & Peter A. Stott & Kirsten Zickfeld, 2009. "The proportionality of global warming to cumulative carbon emissions," Nature, Nature, vol. 459(7248), pages 829-832, June.
    4. Melissa Kenney & Anthony Janetos & Glynis Lough, 2016. "Building an integrated U.S. National Climate Indicators System," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 85-96, March.
    5. Myles R. Allen & David J. Frame & Chris Huntingford & Chris D. Jones & Jason A. Lowe & Malte Meinshausen & Nicolai Meinshausen, 2009. "Warming caused by cumulative carbon emissions towards the trillionth tonne," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7242), pages 1163-1166, April.
    6. James H. Butler & Mark Battle & Michael L. Bender & Stephen A. Montzka & Andrew D. Clarke & Eric S. Saltzman & Cara M. Sucher & Jeffrey P. Severinghaus & James W. Elkins, 1999. "A record of atmospheric halocarbons during the twentieth century from polar firn air," Nature, Nature, vol. 399(6738), pages 749-755, June.
    7. Katsumasa Tanaka & Otávio Cavalett & William J. Collins & Francesco Cherubini, 2019. "Asserting the climate benefits of the coal-to-gas shift across temporal and spatial scales," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(5), pages 389-396, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shan, Yi & Ren, Zhengshi, 2023. "Does tourism development and renewable energy consumption drive high quality economic development?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. José Alberto Fuinhas & Matheus Koengkan & Nuno Carlos Leitão & Chinazaekpere Nwani & Gizem Uzuner & Fatemeh Dehdar & Stefania Relva & Drielli Peyerl, 2021. "Effect of Battery Electric Vehicles on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 29 European Union Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-26, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Morgan R. Edwards & Jessika E. Trancik, 2022. "Consequences of equivalency metric design for energy transitions and climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 175(1), pages 1-27, November.
    2. Malte Meinshausen & S. Smith & K. Calvin & J. Daniel & M. Kainuma & J-F. Lamarque & K. Matsumoto & S. Montzka & S. Raper & K. Riahi & A. Thomson & G. Velders & D.P. Vuuren, 2011. "The RCP greenhouse gas concentrations and their extensions from 1765 to 2300," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 109(1), pages 213-241, November.
    3. Dietz, Simon & Gollier, Christian & Kessler, Louise, 2018. "The climate beta," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 258-274.
    4. Gustav Engström & Johan Gars, 2016. "Climatic Tipping Points and Optimal Fossil-Fuel Use," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(3), pages 541-571, November.
    5. Adam Michael Bauer & Cristian Proistosescu & Gernot Wagner, 2023. "Carbon Dioxide as a Risky Asset," CESifo Working Paper Series 10278, CESifo.
    6. Frederick Ploeg, 2021. "Carbon pricing under uncertainty," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(5), pages 1122-1142, October.
    7. Renaud Coulomb & Oskar Lecuyer & Adrien Vogt-Schilb, 2019. "Optimal Transition from Coal to Gas and Renewable Power Under Capacity Constraints and Adjustment Costs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(2), pages 557-590, June.
    8. Francesco Lamperti & Valentina Bosetti & Andrea Roventini & Massimo Tavoni, 2019. "The public costs of climate-induced financial instability," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(11), pages 829-833, November.
    9. Weiwei Xiong & Katsumasa Tanaka & Philippe Ciais & Daniel J. A. Johansson & Mariliis Lehtveer, 2022. "emIAM v1.0: an emulator for Integrated Assessment Models using marginal abatement cost curves," Papers 2212.12060, arXiv.org.
    10. Melissa A. Kenney & Anthony C. Janetos, 2020. "National indicators of climate changes, impacts, and vulnerability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 1695-1704, December.
    11. Dietz, Simon & Venmans, Frank, 2019. "Cumulative carbon emissions and economic policy: In search of general principles," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 108-129.
    12. Christoph Hambel & Holger Kraft & Frederick van der Ploeg, 2024. "Asset Diversification Versus Climate Action," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 65(3), pages 1323-1355, August.
    13. Elisabeth M. Hamin & Yaser Abunnasr & Max Roman Dilthey & Pamela K. Judge & Melissa A. Kenney & Paul Kirshen & Thomas C. Sheahan & Don J. DeGroot & Robert L. Ryan & Brain G. McAdoo & Leonard Nurse & J, 2018. "Pathways to Coastal Resiliency: The Adaptive Gradients Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, July.
    14. Rick van der Ploeg, 2020. "Discounting and Climate Policy," CESifo Working Paper Series 8441, CESifo.
    15. Michael D. Gerst & Melissa A. Kenney & Irina Feygina, 2021. "Improving the usability of climate indicator visualizations through diagnostic design principles," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 1-22, June.
    16. Vogt-Schilb, Adrien & Meunier, Guy & Hallegatte, Stéphane, 2018. "When starting with the most expensive option makes sense: Optimal timing, cost and sectoral allocation of abatement investment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 210-233.
    17. Olayinka Oyekola & Lotanna E. Emediegwu & Jubril Olayinka Animashaun, 2023. "Commodity windfalls, political regimes, and environmental quality," Discussion Papers 2306, University of Exeter, Department of Economics.
    18. Jake F. Weltzin & Julio L. Betancourt & Benjamin I. Cook & Theresa M. Crimmins & Carolyn A. F. Enquist & Michael D. Gerst & John E. Gross & Geoffrey M. Henebry & Rebecca A. Hufft & Melissa A. Kenney &, 2020. "Seasonality of biological and physical systems as indicators of climatic variation and change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 1755-1771, December.
    19. Miren Lorente & S. Gauthier & P. Bernier & C. Ste-Marie, 2020. "Tracking forest changes: Canadian Forest Service indicators of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 1839-1853, December.
    20. Ha, Yuejiao & Teng, Fei, 2013. "Midway toward the 2 degree target: Adequacy and fairness of the Cancún pledges," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 856-865.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:165:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-021-03001-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.