Airborne fraction

The airborne fraction is a scaling factor defined as the ratio of the annual increase in atmospheric CO
2 to the CO
2 emissions from human sources. It represents the proportion of human emitted CO2 that remains in the atmosphere. Observations over the past six decades show that the airborne fraction has remained relatively stable at around 45%. This indicates that the land and ocean's capacity to absorb CO2 has kept up with the rise in human CO2 emissions, despite the occurrence of notable interannual and sub-decadal variability, which is predominantly driven by the land's ability to absorb CO2. There is some evidence for a recent increase in airborne fraction, which would imply a faster increase in atmospheric CO
2 for a given rate of human fossil-fuel burning. Changes in carbon sinks can affect the airborne fraction as well.

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