✅3.1.1.4 - Water, Carbon and Life on Earth Flashcards

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1
Q

What type of feedback is sea ice melting?

A

Positive

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2
Q

How do marine phytoplankton link the water and carbon cycles?

A

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

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3
Q

What type of feedback is permafrost melt?

A

Positive

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4
Q

How does permafrost melt link to the carbon cycle?

A

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

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5
Q

What is lag time in terms of climate change?

A

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

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6
Q

What is climate change mitigation?

A

Efforts made to reduce or prevent emissions of greenhouse gases

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7
Q

Where is the degree of ocean warming greatest?

A

Near the surface

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8
Q

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

A

0.11 degrees C

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9
Q

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

A

0.19m

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10
Q

Why is CO2 increase a positive feedback?

A

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

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11
Q

Other than CO2, what can cause the greenhouse effect?

A

Water vapour, clouds, aerosols

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12
Q

Why is sea ice melt a positive feedback loop?

A

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

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13
Q

How do marine phytoplankton aid cloud formation?

A

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

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14
Q

Why are marine phytoplankton causing a negative feedback loop?

A

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

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15
Q

Are warmer waters more or less able to dissolve CO2?

A

Less

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16
Q

Why are water and carbon important to all living organisms?

A

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

17
Q

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

A

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

18
Q

How can changing rural land use positively affect climate change?

A

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

19
Q

What are the advantages of land use changes?

A

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

20
Q

What are the disadvantages of changing rural land use?

A

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

21
Q

How successful is carbon capture technology?

A

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.

22
Q

What are the advantages of carbon capture?

A

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

23
Q

What are the disadvantages of carbon capture?

A

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