Even in the best times, long -term observations can be very delicate. It is complex to convince financial agencies to place money in long -term observations, because by definition these are continuations; It was done earlier. Most financing entities, from scientific agencies to philanthropic organizations, want to be associated with thrilling, groundbreaking work and lasting observations, is too routine to scratch this itching. (Dave Keeling Records in his autobiography, Earth monitoring prizes and penaltiesthat at some point the head of the National Science Foundation program demanded that to maintain funding, he generates two discoveries annually based on carbon dioxide levels.)
Another susceptibility results from the fact that the community of scientists making constant measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide probably has less than 30. Doctoral students interested in learning to conduct this secret work is a sporadic commodity. Patience and attention to detail are required, and years may be needed to collect enough data to answer key questions or make breakthrough discoveries. Scientists must be very conscientious and demanding to ensure that measurements in 1958 are comparable to those today. Calibration is an endless duty. This scientific chase is not for everyone.
Perversely, while the stump curve reached the iconic global meaning, it can actually hinder, and not support in the financing situation. Environmental programs are usually organized by a geographical domain and discipline – the national water quality program of the American geological survey, the Arctic NSF observation network and, for example, US Forest Service. Among these concentrated efforts, a vast picture can be lost. As the climate change field has evolved, it was increasingly complex to find sponsors who accept responsibility for measuring life signs as a whole.
The original measurements of Mauna Loa were started during the International Geophysical Year in 1957/1958. It was a huge, extraordinary effort, led by the United States and in this 67 countries, with the purpose (simply) to measure each physical attribute on Earth in one year. This led to numerous, essential scientific discoveries and establishing many measuring programs around the world. For example, she established the South Pole station, a house for essential climate research, which is still going. It was a time of huge optimism, international cooperation (even during the Summit of the Icy War), huge dreams, global cooperation. And the United States was proud to lead the way.
This sense of efforts lasted until the 1970s, when the then President Richard Nixon – a conservative republican – established Noaa to better understand the oceans and atmosphere of the world. In the 1980s, Noaa grew up next to Scripps’s efforts to become a heartbeat of global climate science. Now, after only three brief months of Trump’s administration, we are considering abdicating American leadership in ocean and atmospheric science and the loss of the largest and most critical observation network for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and their calibration laboratory.
Our friends from Noaa live day by day, I’m not sure if they will be the last at work tomorrow. We pray for common sense to win and that Noaa will be saved the worst. Regardless of the fact that we will be in the fight to preserve the world’s ability to measure carbon dioxide levels with any support that we can get, a petite bastion against the recent shadowy age of climate sciences.