# Charles David Keeling Charles David Keeling was an American scientist who, beginning in 1958, established the continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii — the dataset now known as The Keeling Curve. By insisting on uninterrupted, high-precision measurement and fighting repeatedly to keep the program funded, he provided the first direct proof that CO2 was accumulating in the atmosphere year on year, settling a question that had been genuinely open. His measurements are foundational to the modern understanding of the [[Carbon Cycle]] and to all of [[Climate Science]]. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2002; his son Ralph Keeling continues the record. *Stub — expand with biographical detail, the Scripps years, and the funding battles over long-term monitoring.*