Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere Atmospheric O levels are decreasing in Earth's atmosphere as it reacts with the carbon in fossil fuels to form . Burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas is the leading cause of increased anthropogenic ; deforestation is the second major cause. In 2010, 9.14 gigatonnes of carbon (GtC, equivalent to 33.5 gigatonnes of or about 4.3 ppm in Earth's atmosphere) were released from fossil fuels and cement production worldwide, compared to 6.15 GtC in 1990. In addition, land use change contributed 0.87 GtC in 2010, compared to 1.45 GtC in 1990. In 1997, human-caused Indonesian peat fires
Polar meteorology used to measure conditions in polar areas. The atmospheric portion of the hydrological cycle in polar regions plays an important role in that: Carbon dioxide (C02) is of particular interest in polar meteorology because it affects the melting of sea ice. Human activity releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from burning oil, coal and natural gas. A dozen pounds of Arctic sea ice disappears for every pound of carbon dioxide released. This highlights the heating power of carbon dioxide, which pumps 100,000 times more energy into our climate than was given off when the oil, coal or natural gas was