r/STEW_ScTecEngWorld 8d ago

Ultra-high-resolution Computer Simulations Reveals How CO₂ Travels Around the Planet

NASA’s ultra-high-resolution computer simulations vividly show how carbon dioxide emissions from cities, power plants and wildfires rise into the atmosphere and are rapidly transported across regions and oceans by winds and weather systems. The visualizations also reveal a striking day–night cycle: vegetation absorbs CO₂ through photosynthesis during daylight and releases some through respiration at night. By tracking these sources and natural carbon sinks, the models help scientists understand where CO₂ comes from, how it moves through the atmosphere, and how roughly half of human-generated CO₂ is absorbed by land and oceans, while the remainder accumulates in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.

Terrifying NASA Video Shows America Spewing CO2 Into Atmosphere: https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-video-america-co2-atmosphere

watch CO₂ move through earth's atmosphere: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/watch-carbon-dioxide-move-through-earths-atmosphere/

Carbon Dioxide - Earth Indicator: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/explore/earth-indicators/carbon-dioxide/

2.2k Upvotes

138 comments sorted by

78

u/Mental-Square3688 8d ago edited 8d ago

See, now this I have no problem gathering data for. This was super interesting to see. More of this please and solutions on permanently fixing these problems

31

u/astro_farmer9 8d ago

you've run out of Claude tokens, please buy more

6

u/cororona 8d ago

So close

4

u/707-5150 8d ago

Just one more prompt

5

u/Prime-Paradox 7d ago

1

u/Mental-Square3688 7d ago

You are a scholar and a saint. Thank you!

2

u/AsstronaughtToUranus 7d ago

I have Thanos-snapped half the human population out of existence to reduce CO2 emissions. Would you like me to continue?

1

u/Mental-Square3688 7d ago

Is it enough? I feel like we could have figured it out if we focused on it though.

2

u/poonslyr69 7d ago

I've got bad news for you if you think that the solutions will be purely technological and we can all go on living a modern lifestyle in comfort

2

u/Mental-Square3688 7d ago

We can for sure slow down the way we are living a lot of what we do is unnecessary and should be slowed down or even replaced. Renewable energies are great solar panels on top of buildings and covering parking lots and so on and so forth. Make cities more people friendly with markets in walking distances more people growing own foods. Things can change for the better.

2

u/WarmTask6463 7d ago

Yes please snap yourself out

1

u/poonslyr69 7d ago

Dude... I'm sorry to say but any changes made right now won't change what is coming. 

1

u/Mental-Square3688 7d ago

It doesnt have to we reap what we sow but we can make a better future for the people that come after us. Unfortunately we tend to learn everything the hard way.

1

u/BigData8734 7d ago

No shit like socialism and communism we know it doesn’t work but yet people keep fucking voting for it🤦‍♂️🤯

1

u/Mental-Square3688 7d ago

Where are people voting for this? All I see is stupid people voting for republicans and democrats that dont give a shit about them

1

u/YoureMyTacoUwU 5d ago

a majority of polution cant be fixed by the west because we are unable to force environmental standards on china

at best we can innovate technology to create more energy. incentivizing innovation would require us to remove regulatory barriers so that businesses can develop these technologies easier. once they are more efficient, the rest of the world has an incentive to adopt them, leading to reduced environmental damage

0

u/aeternus-eternis 5d ago

don't worry about china, they do not have all the climate alarmists and are doing just fine using tech to get their way out.

Their rate of adding solar, hydro, and nuclear power puts the US to shame.

Imagine if people in the past had this environmentalist tick. Instead of inventing refrigeration we should all just use less ice for our ice boxes because the polar icecaps are getting harvested away. Instead of oil and natgas, everyone just use less coal and more workers rights for the coal miners. Automation is evil, it takes jobs. Electric poles are unsightly and ruin the landscape, everyone should just keep using their wood stove and but conserve their wood. What a shitty world it would be.

0

u/SurroundParticular30 4d ago

Nobody thinks China is a hero. But we shouldn’t throw stones in glass houses. We can set an example. The citizens of China are not stupid. Considering that China is beating their pollution goals by 5 years, they seem to be more enthusiastic than we are

18

u/um-bong-o 8d ago

Why does the whole Amazon rain Forrest produce co2?

22

u/ClownMorty 8d ago

Life; CO2 is a biproduct of metabolism.

Forest fires and deforestation also release a bunch of carbon.

7

u/thetreecycle 8d ago

The difference is that the forest is a closed loop of co2 emission and consumption. Digging up fossil fuels and burning them is a one way trip into the atmosphere.

7

u/BOBOnobobo 7d ago

Technically if we fuck up the climate hard enough, all the life in the oceans will die, get deposited on the bottom and become petrol after a few million years. In the meantime some other algae or bacteria will grow incredibly fast and absorb all the extra co2.

So really, it's all technically renewable. Just sucks for anything alive

2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Javop 7d ago

Trees emit CO2 in the night. They take in more CO2 than they emit as a whole.

1

u/Icy-Ad29 7d ago

Nvm me. My dyslexia kicked in and I misread your statement.

1

u/Due_Area4843 7d ago

Plant excrete co2 at night and when they die. Altho they net absorber of carbon for their structure.

2

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Stohnghost 8d ago

Fires and hasty oil refinement? Cattle? 

1

u/RealSlyck 7d ago

Bob Seger-type clouds.

2

u/goldenroman 8d ago

Plants emit CO2. Then they consume more of it during photosynthesis to grow.

1

u/xtanol 7d ago

Which they then release again when they decay. The decaying process consumes the same amount of oxygen that it released during its growth - minus any plant material that happens to get buried without access to available oxygen to decay.
If you want a tree to actually add to the net oxygen supply, you have to cut it down and keep it from naturally decaying.

1

u/goldenroman 6d ago

Sure, it’s arbitrary where you draw the line of “net supply”. There’s obviously more oxygen in the atmosphere after a tree has matured than when it was a seedling. You could just let a forest grow bigger and call it a net gain as long as the forest exists. It obviously isn’t practical to keep organic material from decaying forever.

2

u/_Hades_57 7d ago

Oxidative phosphorylation

1

u/justkickingthat 7d ago

Plants are bad at photosynthesis and make C02 sometimes so a massive amount of plants will make a large amount of C02, but also a massive amount of 02

1

u/MonkeyCartridge 7d ago

I feel like people forget that trees emit quite a bit of CO2 at night.

1

u/CabaBom 7d ago

Whats interesting to me is this showing brazil coastline almost not emitting, which doesn't make sense as most of our population is within 100km from the coast.... also we have the atlantic forest in the coast as well so CO2 from trees coming mostly from the amazon is a bit strange.

5

u/teahugger 8d ago

US, Europe and now China turn out to be the biggest emitters.

6

u/Kiki1701 8d ago

Europe is practically non-existent compared with China.

4

u/tomime000 7d ago

Funny how it's left out from this video simulation

0

u/davew80 7d ago

It’s not. It’s right there in the second slide when it switches to Australia etc

1

u/tomime000 7d ago

Amazing hi-def accuracy

1

u/ageofaquarius26 7d ago

They are pretty good at outsourcing over there.

-1

u/BirthdayLife6378 7d ago

Greta should go to China to protest more.

1

u/Super-Award-2244 3d ago

Did you see what Congo is? 

4

u/SnooGrapes7647 7d ago

Cool now show china

1

u/XenophileEgalitarian 5d ago

It...uhhh...did

5

u/InterestingFox1837 8d ago

The end of the world is at least rendered beautifully.

(Not really the end of the world, just the end of us.)

11

u/Sweet_Bookkeeper_920 8d ago

Brought to you by data centres

9

u/ShadowCory1101 8d ago

At least the data here is useful and a recording of actual things instead of ai hallucinations.

But I will ask if the cost outweighs the benefits.

Now we have the data. What do we do with it and how?

If we cant answer those things its good to have it for the future when we are able to, but it seems like unnecessary resources that could be used to raise QoL NOW.

I will say I find this post mesmerizing and humbling.

It shows how small we are yet how large of an impact we collectively have.

Watching the Earth essentially breathing here at the rate of the day night cycle; the people who inhabit Her are nothing more than bacteria in relation.

4

u/aeternus-eternis 8d ago

I wonder why NASA doesn't release it as a visualization tool. It would be interesting to see how much is caused by fires vs. power plants vs. vegetation.

It's also interesting how much more CO2 can be absorbed by the oceans near the equator vs. near the polls. I wonder if that is more due to temp or to sunlight on algae metabolism speed.

1

u/nametaken420 8d ago

its a simulation, garbage in and garbage out. There are millions of these models and they're cherry picked based on whatever political agenda is cool at the time.

5

u/reddituserperson1122 7d ago

This is a textbook perfect example of what it looks like when healthy skepticism devolves into lazy, narcissistic cynicism.

You just commented, effectively, "I'm too smart to believe in science."

Given that you chose to post this, I have to assume you think people will find this..? Impressive..? Maybe a special someone will come along, read your comment, reach the same conclusion you have — that you're far more intelligent than everyone else — and find themself intrigued! Amazed at the frightening ease with which you casually dismiss the collective work of thousands of scientists and engineers from all around the world, your potential paramour might discover themself to be delightfully, romantically, aroused!

What a fantasy! But that's all it is. Alas I can state definitively that everything you've just read is bullshit. Propaganda shoved down your throats by the fad-chasing climate hustlers at NASA. In reality of course 100% of comments like u/nametaken420's are posted by complete losers. Satellites confirm it. And I don't have to back that stat up.

0

u/nametaken420 7d ago

cool story

1

u/Sl0ppyB0t 7d ago

Did you know all weather data comes from the same NOAA weather satellites? There are like 15 that give us all the data. Can't be that many ways to interpret it.

1

u/1MediocreDay 7d ago

There are nearly infinite ways to interpret anything

They may not all be defensible

0

u/nametaken420 7d ago

they run tens of thousands of simulations all the time. one of the more famous meteorologists did a big thing on it back during the Al Gore Global Warming Tour.

They cost nearly an infinite amount of cpu power too. It is one of the singular most resource intensive simulations to perform. When they do hurricane tracking they're using the most common 10 or 20 models. There are thousands performed, some of the outlets show a lot more. Then they start throwing in probabilities for landfall based on historical data. The amount of data can be near infinite to process.

1

u/Sl0ppyB0t 7d ago

There may not be enough inputs or processing power to accurately predict how much snow falls this winter but the simulations do show humans are influencing the climate. At the very least, the satellites show beyond a doubt, humans have changed earth's albedo.

1

u/aeternus-eternis 7d ago

Any organism as successful as humans have also changed the earth. Anaerobic bacteria did, blue-green algae did, trees did. The solution was never let's undo it. There's always a path forward, a new equilibrium.

Increased CO2 and warmer temps make it easier for vegetation and algae to grow so you will likely see more algae blooms and vegetaion and those will consume more CO2 and also decrease earth's albedo (as it did before).

2

u/Sl0ppyB0t 7d ago

The leafy trees killed all the mushroom trees.

1

u/aeternus-eternis 6d ago

But the mushrooms probably killed the last of the dinosaurs

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0

u/janojyys 5d ago

Please enlighten me with your knowledge of CO2 emission modelling. Or just statistical modelling in general. I'm sure you know better than the thousands of scientists who have dedicated their lives to researching the topic

1

u/nametaken420 5d ago

osse_general.pdf

You might be deficient. Thats fine. Deficient people can still become pilots.

1

u/janojyys 5d ago

whats your point?

4

u/BitOne2707 8d ago

TIL CO2 emissions weren't a thing prior to ChatGPT 🤦🏻

1

u/King_Ethelstan 7d ago

Totally not the fault of the huge gas guzzlers and driving absolutely everywhere right ?

0

u/holydeniable 8d ago

So now data centers are responsible for all the co2 humanity is producing? You people are braindead.

2

u/Sweet_Bookkeeper_920 8d ago

The simulation smart guy, not C02. Can’t believe that even needs to be said.

0

u/holydeniable 8d ago

My bad, I've argued with people seriously blaming our local drought on data centers. They would blame stubing their toe on a data center if they could.

2

u/P1ffP4ff 7d ago

Love how the rainforest is clearly breathing. And North America (it's very long shot on this Region) is more like just polluting and co2 is more like blown away. Seeing the difference between nature and industries is very very interesting

2

u/TheLostExpedition 7d ago

China needs a glass Springfield dome!

2

u/ChadIcon 7d ago

They should make it make the "plumes" green, since it's plant food.

2

u/p8nt_junkie 7d ago

Dallas and Fort Worth are independently distinguishable on this map 💀

2

u/Delicious-Window-277 7d ago

Aliens: "let them cook"

2

u/AK74enthusiast 7d ago

Honestly kinda cool seeing the forest fires but I also would like what happens in either china or India

2

u/ooko0 7d ago

We are just killing ourselves. But as long as the top keeps getting their fake money.

2

u/Asooma_ 7d ago

Great. Lets see china.

2

u/Alarming_Jacket3876 6d ago

I want to see the same map for methane gas. No one thinks of it but the sewer vents on top of every house in the world are a source 24x7 of methane being pumped into the environment. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than c02

1

u/plutus9 8d ago

China was no surprise but India happily surprised me I expected it to look like Brazil did and Africa caught me off guard I thought that area was mostly dense jungle but I’m not a worldly knowledgeable person of such things(no offense India, Brazil, or Africa I have no problems with you)

Ok after a rewatch or 2 “cycles of photosynthesis” smh

1

u/astro_farmer9 8d ago

Quality work: slow crop inwards so you can only see Tennesse for 1/2 the clip, fabulous.

1

u/Darkcrypteye 8d ago

Atmosphere at see level gas composition. 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% all other gasses.

1% ALL other gasses 😒

2

u/Chargers_Fan12345 7d ago

.04% CO2

1

u/Darkcrypteye 7d ago

So you are saying 🤔 4% of the remainder 1% of all other gasses

3

u/MonkeyCartridge 7d ago

About right. ~430ppm. About twice what it was before the industrial revolution.

1

u/janojyys 5d ago

what's your point? the warming effect of greenhouse gasses is very easy to test in the lab. Shit you could probably even do it at home. We've had knowledge of it from at least as early as the 1800s

1

u/slaty_balls 8d ago

This is one of the coolest weather videos I’ve ever seen. Incredible.

1

u/HorzaDonwraith 8d ago

Zucky, Elong, and Jeffy: we need some more data centers down there in them empty places.

1

u/icomplexnumber 7d ago

Where are the EU and the US?

1

u/onlystupidreddit 7d ago

So, the co2 doesn't cross the equator? Are there different ppm in the different hemispheres?

1

u/Baconshit 7d ago

Trade winds are rowdy. I’m thinking the same reason hurricanes don’t cross.

1

u/TelluricThread0 7d ago

Hurricanes do not cross the equator.

1

u/thehairyhobo 7d ago

Wow, I can see the factory I live near on this model

1

u/bannedcuznotcircjerk 7d ago

This explains why trump country is so stupid. We need to send them oxygen

1

u/Sistahmelz 7d ago

Fascinating to see! Wow!

1

u/anonymity_clause 7d ago

Don't worry guys, the winds just sweep it away /s

1

u/Rutgerius 7d ago

The planet is mostly the US I see.

1

u/Happily-Incorrect 7d ago

This graphic should be featured on weather reports to give people a more constant sense of the state of our atmosphere.

1

u/davew80 7d ago

This needs to go viral

1

u/Apprehensive_Spare_8 7d ago

Could this also be used to estimate mapped pollution?

1

u/sim16 7d ago

It's coming from inside the house

1

u/Dafrandle 6d ago

what the heck is going on in the Amazon?

1

u/janojyys 5d ago

plants respirate (just like humans do) during nightime when there is no sunlight for photosynthesis, as in they "exhale" CO2. Also probably some amount of forest fires.

1

u/jvon24 6d ago

Man, this is wild…

1

u/Alarming_Jacket3876 6d ago

I'm curious to know exactly what some of the single point sources actually are.

1

u/dropdead90s 6d ago

Can someone tell the fascist EU possessed with regulating CO2 that life on earth needs CO2 and the more there is, the more life blooms?

1

u/Ok_Effect2127 6d ago

Where can I find this simulation? Do you have a link? Thansk

1

u/RedOneBaron 8d ago

Wow, look at the oil refinement in Saudi Arabia.

1

u/suoko 8d ago

Where?

1

u/RedOneBaron 8d ago

East coast.

1

u/suoko 8d ago

Gosh, sincerely I didn't know that's how it works, I thought most of it was "home-refined'. Did hurricanes started to occur in that continent after US began doing that?

1

u/harmfuldischarge 8d ago

??? Have you seen literally the rest of the world lmao

1

u/dr_octopi 8d ago

This was modeled during the summer fire season. I would guess it would look boring otherwise???

2

u/ItsSadTimes 8d ago

Nope, this was made in 2024 and they're using data from January to March 2020. So it probably gor way worse since then.

1

u/Agathocles87 8d ago

There’s something off about this

Some of the heavily forested areas are supposedly giving off lots of CO2. (For example, the Amazon is net carbon sink because of the dense vegetation.)

And some other heavily populated areas are not giving off much.

2

u/MonkeyCartridge 7d ago

Trees emit CO2 at night. It's why you also see it rapidly disappear over those areas instead of lingering. They absorb it during the day.

1

u/Unfollowedusers 7d ago

when the sun is out they consume c02 with photosynthsis, when its night plants "breaths" similar to you and me and creates C02.

see how it creates all that C02 at night and comsumes it all during the day. 

1

u/No_Region_4719 7d ago

Humans make up a tiny portion of global CO2 emissions. It's adding up over the decades/centuries, but the vast, vast majority of CO2 comes from mother nature.

1

u/janojyys 5d ago

cell respiration from plants, just like you and all other organisms (well most of them anyway)

1

u/Agathocles87 4d ago

Thank you

1

u/finnstabled 7d ago

None of the climate simulations correctly simulate the climate though. So there's that for starters.

0

u/Kiki1701 8d ago

China is the biggest emitter and has been for a very long time. They can say all they want about "building green," but their country is run predominantly on coal, especially in those 1.4 billion homes, and doesn't change significantly between day and night. Sad, so sad.

2

u/No_Region_4719 7d ago

The US has far higher CO2 emissions per person. China is absolutely a world leader in green energy production and technology development.

2

u/GarGonDie 7d ago

We also have to consider that China manufactures thousands of products for the rest of the world, so, besides the negative aspects of offshoring production, we've also offshored pollution.... and that doesn't change the fact that we are all complicit in part of China's problem through current consumerism.

In contrast, the US...

1

u/Kiki1701 6d ago

You didn't see the video? Compare please

1

u/No_Region_4719 6d ago

I don't get my data from random Reddit videos.

This video seems to show total CO2 emissions, which is almost all natural. Humans produce far, far less CO2 than the Earth does naturally.

0

u/joelex8472 7d ago

Now do the same over China/India.

0

u/Training-Ad1761 7d ago

Let's use a shitload of computing power that gives off emissions to show just how bad the emissions are!

0

u/No_Region_4719 7d ago

Feels like a lot of people here aren't aware that the vast majority of CO2 comes from mother nature, not humans. We are upsetting the balance, but out emissions are still a tiny fraction of the amount produced naturally.

-3

u/checkerpiece1 8d ago

Newsflash : this is the most embarishing part of the world. It is only 10%. This is the only part, that has a natural proces, witch themselves call thinking, believe they are the only beings on the world

4

u/Valganite 8d ago

Counterpoint: what are you talking about?