Huang, JunlingMcElroy, Michael2013-08-262012Huang, Junling, and Michael Brendon McElroy. 2012. The contemporary and historical budget of atmospheric \(CO_2\). Canadian Journal of Physics 90(8): 707-716.0008-42041208-6045http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10981610Observations of \(CO_2\) and \(O_2\) are interpreted to develop an understanding of the changes in the abundance of atmospheric \(CO_2\) that have arisen over the period 1995–2007. Fossil fuels accounted for an addition of 89.3 Gt of carbon to the atmosphere over this time period, 29% of which was transferred to the ocean, 15% to the global biosphere, with the balance (57%) retained by the atmosphere. Analysis of historical data for \(CO_2\) derived from studies of gases trapped in ice at Law Dome in Antarctica indicate that the biosphere represented a net source of atmospheric \(CO_2\) prior to 1940, switching subsequently to a net sink.en-USJournal Article2013-08-22Junling Huang and Michael B. McElroy2013-08-2610.1139/p2012-033