Delta14C data prove A(1) is false

by Dr. Ed Berry

(editing in process)

Delta14C is a measure of the ratio of 14C to 12C.

Carbon-14 (14C) helps us distinguish human carbon from natural carbon.

Natural carbon has a Delta14C value of 100%. (Our 100% is called 0 by scientists.) Human carbon has no 14C, so its Delta14C is 0%.

Natural Delta14C has been constant enough to be used for carbon dating. This means the relative inflows of natural 14C and 12C have been constant.

If human carbon inflow were 10% of the total CO2 inflow, this would lower Delta14C from 100% to 90%.

If human carbon inflow were 33% of the carbon in the atmosphere, which would occur if human CO2 caused 33% the CO2 in the atmosphere, this would lower Delta14C to 67%.

Data show the Delta14C balance level is about 98%, slightly below 100% (which scientists define as 0). The balance level is the level caused by natural CO2 inflow. This differs from the actual Delta14C, as we explain below.

Therefore, human CO2 inflow is only about 2% of today’s total CO2 inflow, which means human CO2 is about 2% of the CO2 in the atmosphere, not 33% as Assumption (1) predicts.

Therefore, Delta14C proves Assumption (1) is false.

How do we know the Delta14C balance level is 98%?

The bomb tests of the 1950’s and 1960’s added unnatural 14C to the atmosphere. This caused Delta14C to increase to 170%.  But this human-caused addition did not increase the Delta14C balance level because the balance level depends upon the natural inflow of Delta14C, not the level of Delta14C.

Since 1970, the level of Delta14C has decreased steadily back toward its true balance level of about 100%. This decrease has a steady e-time of 16.5 years, which is a half-life of 11.4 years.

We use equations (1) and (2) to curve fit this Delta14C decrease. This curve fit shows the Delta14C balance level has remained constant at about 98% even as the bomb tests increased the actual Delta14C up to 170% as of 1965.

The Delta14C data prevail over IPCC’s more complicated natural carbon cycle data, and lower the calculated human CO2 level to only a few percent of atmospheric CO2.

Delta14C is additional proof that Assumption (1) is false, which does not depend on IPCC’s natural carbon cycle data.

The key point is that Delta14C shows that human CO2 is a very small fraction of atmospheric CO2.