The latest data reported by NOAA has revealed that last year the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased in the most since the recordkeeping started. Level of carbon dioxide increased in 2015 and it could be blamed partially on El Nino. As per the study by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for the last four years, the level of CO2 in atmosphere has increased by at least 2 million part per million, each year.

Carbon dioxide measurements were taken at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, as per the NOAA report. The measurements showed that growth rate of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere soared by about 3.05 parts per million last year. It was the largest year-to-year increase in more than five decades of record keeping, the federal agency said in a statement.

The annual growth rate in 2015 was for the 4th consecutive year when atmospheric carbon dioxide grew over two parts per million, the NOAA added. As of February, the level of carbon dioxide was 402.59 parts per million. The jump is significant over pre-industrial times, as per the agency. Before the start of 1800, average level of atmospheric CO2 was 280 parts per million.

“Carbon dioxide levels are increasing faster than they have in hundreds of thousands of years. It's explosive compared to natural processes”, said Pieter Tans, lead researcher of the new findings from Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network of the NOAA.

The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide may be caused by El Nino, a phenomenon that has global impact on weather patterns. The climate cycle is warming some parts of the world’s oceans and leading to conditions like drought. Rapid increase in carbon emissions is also responsible for the record leap in CO2 last year, as per the NOAA statement.

The NOAA also said that similar rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide was seen in 1998. That year was also strong for El Nino, it added.