Carbon Dioxide Is Limiting The Upper Atmosphere: Study

Scientists recently stated at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, the primary cause of climate change, are on track to rise one percent in 2022 to an all-time high. Adding to this global concern, new research has found that near Earth's surface, increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are causing temperatures to rise.

The independently run online publication ScienceAlert reported that according to two new studies, the greenhouse gas has significantly contributed to the contraction of the upper atmosphere. This contraction has been hypothesized for decades; now, for the first time, it's been actually observed.

Some of the observed shrinkage is normal, and will bounce back; but the contribution made by CO2 is, scientists say, probably permanent. This means that defunct satellites and other bits of old technology in low Earth orbit is likely to remain in place longer due to the reduction of atmospheric drag, cluttering up the region and causing problems for newer satellites and space observations.

"One consequence is that satellites will stay up longer, which is great because people want their satellites to stay up," explains geospace scientist Martin Mlynczak of NASA's Langley Research Center.

The new study uses satellite-derived pressure and temperature data to show the MLT has contracted by over 1.3 kilometres (0.8 miles) between 2002 and 2019. About 340 metres (1,115 feet) of that shrinking is due to carbon dioxide, and that contraction is likely permanent, according to the researchers.

The remainder of the contraction is due to a decline in solar activity during that time. The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, which publishes research advancing the understanding of Earth's atmosphere and its interaction with other components of the Earth system.