Which scientist is the namesake of the Keeling Curve?

The Keeling Curve is named for scientist Charles David Keeling. It is the long-running record of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations that Keeling began developing at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1958.

Keeling arranged regular measurements at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, a remote site chosen to reduce interference from nearby vegetation and local pollution. The resulting graph revealed both a steady upward trend in carbon dioxide and a yearly sawtooth pattern caused largely by seasonal plant growth and decay in the Northern Hemisphere.

The curve helped turn rising atmospheric CO₂ from a theoretical concern into a directly observed environmental record. Keeling’s work also confirmed that carbon dioxide was accumulating in the atmosphere, supporting earlier predictions that human fossil-fuel use could intensify the greenhouse effect.

A common mix-up is Roger Revelle, who helped support and promote the research at Scripps but was not the namesake. Keeling’s son, Ralph Keeling, later continued important atmospheric measurements, but the curve retains Charles David Keeling’s name.