An iceberg carved from a glacier floats in the Jacobshavn fjord in south-west Greenland in a 2006 photo. Temperatures rose 0.7 degrees in the 20th century and the 10 hottest years since records began in the 1850s have been since 1994. (Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, March 22(Xinhuanet) -- U.S. researchers said Wednesday they have developed a new system to track carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

    With concern growing about global warming, being able to determine where and when this major greenhouse gas increases or decreases should help in projecting future climate change and evaluating efforts to reduce releases of carbon.

    "This is a pretty exciting opportunity," said Richard Spinrad, head of research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).

    It produces an unbiased, objective statement of carbon observations, he said, but doesn't favor any particular policy or economic model.

    Tracking carbon dioxide release and absorption will improve understanding of its impact, he said, noting that one-third of the economy is weather and climate sensitive ranging from agriculture to transportation to insurance and real estate.

    Pieter Tans, chief scientist at NOAA's Earth System Research Lab in Boulder, Colo., noted that once carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, it can remain there for thousands of years. That means carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced to mitigate climate change, he said.

    While carbon dioxide is a natural part of the air, it has been increasing sharply since the beginning of industrialization. It is produced in large amounts by burning fossil fuels, such as in manufacturing plants, motor vehicles and generating electricity.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, representing the leading climate scientists, reported in February that global warming has begun, is very likely caused by human activities and will be unstoppable for centuries.

    Environment Canada has been a major partner in the system and NOAA said it is also working with agencies in Europe.

    (Agencies)