Chapter 15.3, Problem 15E

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) records, the concentration of ${\text{CO}}_{\text{2}}$ gas in the atmosphere measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii has increased steadily for the past 55 years as shown in Illustration 6. a. What was the change in average annual concentrations in ${\text{CO}}_{\text{2}}$

(measured in parts per million by volume, ppmv) from 1960 to 2015? b. In what year did the average annual concentrations first exceed 360 ppmv?

ILLUSTRATION 6

Data provided by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory.