🌧️3.1.1.4 - Water, Carbon and Life on Earth

Question 1

What type of feedback is sea ice melting?

Answer 1

Positive

Question 2

How do marine phytoplankton link the water and carbon cycles?

Answer 2

They store carbon as living organisms, but are part of the ocean and allow formation of clouds, and therefore precipitation as part of the water cycle

Question 3

What type of feedback is permafrost melt?

Answer 3

Positive

Question 4

How does permafrost melt link to the carbon cycle?

Answer 4

The organic matter in permafrost can contribute CO2 to the atmosphere as it melts, impacts climate change

Question 5

What is lag time in terms of climate change?

Answer 5

The delay between the change occurring in the climate and it having an effect

Question 6

What is climate change mitigation?

Answer 6

Efforts made to reduce or prevent emissions of greenhouse gases

Question 7

Where is the degree of ocean warming greatest?

Answer 7

Near the surface

Question 8

How much as the ocean warmed by per decade since 1971?

Answer 8

0.11 degrees C

Question 9

How much has global mean sea level risen by since 1901?

Answer 9

0.19m

Question 10

Why is CO2 increase a positive feedback?

Answer 10

As CO2 warms the atmosphere, it results in higher evapotranspiration rates and wetter atmosphere, leading to further warming

Question 11

Other than CO2, what can cause the greenhouse effect?

Answer 11

Water vapour, clouds, aerosols

Question 12

Why is sea ice melt a positive feedback loop?

Answer 12

Ice reflects radiation from the sun, so less heat is absorbed
As sea ice is shrinking, less reflection and more absorption
Water warms further
Warmer waters melt ice

Question 13

How do marine phytoplankton aid cloud formation?

Answer 13

They release a chemical substance called DMS which can lead to formation of condensation and clouds over oceans

Question 14

Why are marine phytoplankton causing a negative feedback loop?

Answer 14

As temperatures warm, phytoplankton numbers increase, clouds increase, global temperatures cool

Question 15

Are warmer waters more or less able to dissolve CO2?

Answer 15

Less

Question 16

Why are water and carbon important to all living organisms?

Answer 16

Make up matter of people, plants, animals etc
All organisms need water to survive drinking etc
Carbon is essential for plant growth and warmth

Question 17

What is one of the key links between water and carbon cycles?

Answer 17

Absorption of carbon in rain water, which affects the magnitude of both sources - acidic rainwater leads to weathering etc

Question 18

How can changing rural land use positively affect climate change?

Answer 18

Planting trees can remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and fields not ploughed to retain carbon in the soils rather than being released as CO2

Question 19

What are the advantages of land use changes?

Answer 19

Greenhouse gas emissions reduced
Reduced labour
Reforestation increases biodiversity
Floods less likely

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of changing rural land use?

Answer 20

Reforestation needs to keep occurring to become carbon neutral
Not always more productive farming
Yield may be lowered with reduced use of fertilisers
May increase chance of wildfires

Question 21

How successful is carbon capture technology?

Answer 21

Its complications can outweigh its benefits, as CO2 concentrations in the air are still very low and so to have a meaningful impact huge quantities of air would have to be processes.

Question 22

What are the advantages of carbon capture?

Answer 22

Techniques well understood and easily operated, good health and safety
Fossil fuel burning plants can have carbon capture built in
Can significantly reduce emissions from plants

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of carbon capture?

Answer 23

More energy reuqired for plants fitted with the technology, which can increase emissions indirectly
Can increase certain aspects of air pollution
Can damage environment with leakages of CO2 underground