Why does the amount of atmospheric CO2 go up and down each year?

Answer 1

It is part of the Hydrocarbon / Oxygen system. This is why global warming is only a temporary thing and will reverse at some point.

Trees and plants take in CO2 and combine it with H2O and Sunlight to produce Hydrocarbons (tree and plant growth material) and Oxygen. This process is called Photosynthesis. This will lower the CO2 in the atmosphere. When the trees and plants die off in the winter they no longer give off Oxygen and the decomposing or burnt fuel gives off CO2. As it is always a growing season somewhere. Winter in the northern Hemosphere is Summer in the Souther Hemisphere and visa versa. It is obvious that one Hemisphere produces more oxygen than another. And this is why it goes up and down each year.

The cool part is this is a balanced system, as we get global warming we also get longer growing seasons and the plants will produce more Oxygen and the CO2 levels will go down. Conversely when the atmospheres loses it's green house gases the growing season will get shorter (Global Cooling) and the whole cycle repeats itself. So you actually have two cycles in this process, one which is annual and a second which may take 20 to 120 years.

Answer 2

Only short term, because of plant activity in the summer. Long term it's headed up fast. The plants can't deal with what we put out. Here's some data.

There is a natural "carbon cycle" that recycles CO2. But it's a delicate balance and we're messing it up.

Look at this graph.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

The little squiggles are nature doing its' thing. CO2 falls a bit during summer when plants are active, and rises during the winter. The huge increase is us, burning fossil fuels (in addition to the shape of the graph, the increase follows the increase in fossil fuel use; an unlikely coincidence). The natural carbon cycle buried carbon in fossil fuels over a very long time, little bit by little bit. We dig them up and burn them, real fast. That's a problem.

Man is upsetting the balance of nature. We need to fix that.

Answer 3

The CO2 level in atmosphere is only rising n not falling at all. This rise is due to deforestation(cutting down of trees) n due to many polluting naturl features, factories n vehicles.

Answer 4

In fall and winter the deciduous trees lose their leaves. That means less CO2 being sucked in, and when the leaves rot they give off CO2. In summer and spring the trees get their leaves back and suck in more CO2.

Answer 5

Because we produce different amounts and the plants use more or less CO2.