Volcanic versus anthropogenic carbon dioxide

Abstract

[1] Which emits more carbon dioxide (CO₂): Earth's volcanoes or human activities? Research findings indicate unequivocally that the answer to this frequently asked question is human activities. However, most people, including some Earth scientists working in fields outside volcanology, are surprised by this answer. The climate change debate has revived and reinforced the belief, widespread among climate skeptics, that volcanoes emit more CO₂ than human activities [Gerlach, 2010; Plimer, 2009]. In fact, present‐day volcanoes emit relatively modest amounts of CO₂, about as much annually as states like Florida, Michigan, and Ohio.

Acknowledgments

I thank several U.S. Geological Survey and Eos reviewers for their comments and suggestions.