Peter Stallinga, Igor Khmelinskii FCT and CEOT, University of the Algarve, Faro, Portugal ABSTRACT The dynamics of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is analyzed and it is shown that the Pinatubo eruption in 1991 had a noticeable effect on these dynamics. The growth rate slowed down. Moreover, analyzing the year-on-year CO 2 growth data, we can see an anthropogenic footprint, possibly due to the burning of fossil fuels. On top of this anthropogenic contribution is a natural contribution that is of similar magnitude, and that closely follows the ocean surface temperature (influenced by ENSO, El Niño Southern Oscillation). This latter …