1. Importance of water/carbon Flashcards
1
Q
What allows water on earth to exist?
A
The distance of the Earth from the Sun: lies in the ‘Goldilocks zone’ which is ‘just right’ for water to exist
2
Q
What percent of Earth is covered in oceans?
A
71%
3
Q
How does water moderate The Earth’s conditions x3?
A
- Absorbs, stores and releases heat
- Clouds (made of ice crystals and water droplets) reflect a fifth of incoming solar radiation
- Water vapour (greenhouse gas) absorbs long-wave radiation from the Earth, keeping global temperatures warm
4
Q
Where is carbon stored?
A
- Carbonate rocks eg limestone 60,000-100,000,000 Gt
- Sea floor sediments 6,000 Gt
- Ocean water (as dissolved CO2) 38,700 Gt
- Atmosphere (CO2 gas) 600 Gt
- Biosphere
5
Q
How is carbon used in the economy?
A
- Fossil fuels eg coal, oil, natural gas
- Oil used to make plastics
- Agricultural crops and forest trees used for food etc
6
Q
At what scale do water and carbon flow in closed systems?
A
At the global scale
7
Q
What is a system? *
A
A group of objects that are bound together by a series of relationships
8
Q
Why are smaller scale carbon and water cycles referred to as open systems?
A
At smaller scales eg forest ecosystem, material and the Sun’s energy cross the system boundaries
