Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The point of my question was to isolate direct contributions from fossil fuel burning, which means calculations rather than measuring, since other things contribute CO2.
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Between the CIA, the Energy Information Administration,US Commerce Department,etc.,there's probably a comprehensive database for consumption of the different fuels,from which one could reconstruct combustion products.
Globally,the IPCC will have the numbers for the whole planet.They're the clearing house for the world database.
The anthropogenic fossil-fuel greenhouse gases stand out because they're all 'dead' carbon.No Coal,natural gas,or petroleum was 'alive' when it was burned.They have no carbon-14 in their signatures.Carbon 14 doesn't survive as long as fossil fuels.
As all oxygen has cosmic particle-produced isotopic Oxygen-18 in it,all 'natural' carbon dioxide has cosmic-particle-created carbon-14 in it.Dr.Richard Alley can tell you if the CO2 came from coal,petroleum,or natural gas.They all have specific fingerprints,since some are chain-hydrocarbons and some are ring-hydrocarbons.They all have their own 'DNA' if you will.And since we know the half-life of C-14,we can tell the age of natural CO2.For really long time series,we can use Berrylium-10,Chlorine-36,O-16/O-18 ratio,Magnesium-Calcium,etc..
It's nothing for scientists to be able to make the distinction.
And don't forget the non-CO2/non-methane anthropogenic greenhouse gases.
And the anthropogenic water vapor greenhouse gas,produced in combustion.