Dr. Dave Lowe

Adjunct Professor Antarctic Research Centre, SGEES

Director LOWENZ Ltd

Baring Head features the longest continuous record of atmospheric CO₂ in the southern hemisphere. From the beginning of the programme in 1972, instruments at the site have faithfully recorded the relentless rise of the gas in the atmosphere from around 320 ppm at the outset to well over 400 ppm today. Parallel carbon isotopic and atmospheric oxygen data provide smoking gun proof that the excess CO₂ is a direct response to humankind’s addiction to fossil fuels. The iconic and deceptively simple exponential growth rate curve of atmospheric CO₂ at Baring Head is a chilling indicator that humans are now modifying the Earth system at an unprecedented rate …a launch from the Holocene into the Anthropocene!

But outside the scientific community who knows about the significance of the Baring Head atmospheric CO₂ record? And what about the stories of the dozens of talented and dedicated women and men behind the integrity of the record? With the programme coming up to 50 years in 2022, I think these are events that need to be told in a book aimed at entertaining while retaining the authenticity of the science. In a “post truth” age and in an era of “fake news” it’s unfortunate that facts don’t necessarily change people’s minds …however stories often do. But could such a book be written and is it worth writing? I am well aware that my 40-year background in atmospheric chemistry in Germany, the USA and New Zealand leaves me only partially equipped to write such a book.  In this talk I’ll provide background to the Baring Head project and explore tools and techniques that might be used to bring this remarkable story to life.

Brief Biography:

Dave Lowe has worked on various aspects of climate change involving atmospheric chemistry at laboratories in Germany, New Zealand and the USA. Working with Scripps Institution of Oceanography he began the Baring Head atmospheric CO₂ programme in the early 1970s. He has been a lead author for the IPCC and acted as MBIE’s NZ/Germany science coordinator for six years. He currently runs a small science company focussing on climate change outreach and sustainability.