Norway Ready for the Arctic Council

Arctic CO2 at highest level in 50 million years

Next week in Tromsø, Norway, ‘The Arctic Council’ will meet to discuss global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will attend as will foreign ministers from around the world. It is estimated that over 400 leading experts and politicians on Arctic matters will be in attendance. The conference is entitled "Melting Ice: Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call."

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to the latest figures released by an internationally regarded measuring station in the Arctic.

The measurement of greenhouse gas is continuing to increase in the atmosphere at an alarming rate. At the Zeppelin research station in Svalbard, which is midway between mainland Norway and the north pole, the levels peaked at more than 397 parts per million (ppm), an increase of more than 2.5ppm from 2008.

CO2 levels recorded in Svalbard tend to be higher than the global average, but scientists said the CO2 level measured was unprecedented even for that location. Meanwhile, scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Earth Systems research lab in Boulder, Colorado said a 2.5ppm annual increase was "on the high end."

Last week, the NOAA released preliminary figures for its annual greenhouse gas index, which incorporates data from 60 sites around the world - including Zeppelin. Total global CO2 concentration topped 386ppm. In 2008 the global average increased by 2.1ppm, slightly less than the 2.2ppm increase in 2007. NOAA's primary CO2 measurement station is Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.