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Geog > Carbon 1.5 - 1.7 > Flashcards

Carbon 1.5 - 1.7 Flashcards

1
Q

What is paleoclimatology?

A

we use different sources to look into the recent, historical and long-term past. We reconstruct a record of climate variability using these sources

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2
Q

Ice cores

A

Can help determine the amount of co2, which reflects glacials or interglacials.they also show layers of ash from volcanos

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3
Q

Tree rings

A
  • as trees grow they produce rings
  • greater thickness of rings indicate better growing periods, and higher temperatures
  • fossilised trees can also be used
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4
Q

Fossil records

A

Fossils from animals which no longer in a certain area can suggest higher or lower temperatures in the past

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5
Q

U shaped valleys

A

Evidence of previous glaciation

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6
Q

Historical sources

A

Paintings and diary entries tell us about unusual climate events, e.e. Frost fairs on the Thames, or difficult growing conditions
- e.g. little ice age
Between 1550 and 1800, winter temperatures in the UK were low enough for the river Thames to freeze - thick enough for people to walk on the river.

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7
Q

Siberia permafrost

A

Thawing starts after global temp rise of 1.5C
- globally, permafrost contains 1700bn tonnes of organic matter
- carbon is sequestrated - and there is 4x that released into the atmosphere

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8
Q

Solar radiation pathways

A
  • 31% reflected by clouds
  • 69% absorbed - 50% at earths surface, with the remaining re eradicated and trapped
  • Increased veg = darker surfaces = more solar absorption
  • But - increased clouds, increased reflection
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9
Q

Negative feedback cycles

A
  • Evidence: tree leaf fossils in the arctic - suggesting plants and animals had to migrate towards the poles because of warming temperatures
  • BUT: tectonics caused growth of the mountains, making rate of weathering faster as co2 dissolved in rain reacted with rock minerals
  • Solution carried to sea, absorbed by phytoplankton and sea creatures = die = sinks = locking carbon away in rock store
  • Carbon seqeustrain cooled planet
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10
Q

Positive feedback cycles

A
  • Melting snow and ice = lower albedo, more surface absorption, more LW radiation trapped, higher temp
  • Permafrost melt, methane release, more LW radiation trapped = higher temperature
  • Microbe activity = more NOX released
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11
Q

Oceanic productivity 1

A
  • Light availability for photosynthesis decreases exponentially with depth - only available for 200m
  • But you also need nutrients and these vary with location: as cold water holds more nutrients (carbon)
  • the most productivity occurs 50-75m in depth
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12
Q

Oceanic productivity 2 - ocean capacity to store carbon

A
  • Coastal estuaries have the greatest concentration of productivity due to them being shallow and nutrient rich from coastal erosion
  • But open ocean still accounts for greater share, owing to greater size
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13
Q

Terrestrial Productivity 1 - soil capacity to store carbon

A
  • Latitude = temperature + precipitation patterns = productivity
  • Depends on decomposition and weathering rates as well as biota content of soil - which respire
  • Tropical rainforests have larger biomass, but high decomposition rates and instant nutrient uptake limit litter and soil storage
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14
Q

Terrestrial productivity 2

A
  • Temperate grasslands have organic matter content in soils = increases capacity to store carbon
  • Taiga biome has very slow decomposition rates, and frozen upper soil
  • Clay rich soils protect carbon from decomposition by biota
  • Soil erosion is a major threat to carbon = removal from active surface layer
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15
Q

Atmospheric Composition

A
  • Carbon only accounts for 0.038% of the earths atmospheric composition
  • BUT it plays a very important role in trapping the long wave radiation from the earths surface
  • Without carbon dioxide and methane, the average temperature of the earth would be 20C lower
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16
Q

Natural controls

A

Balance between photosynthesis and respiration in ecosystems

17
Q

Where?

A

Either on land (terrestrial) or within the ocean

18
Q

How much?

A
  • Depends on size of ecosystem and it’s productivity level
  • Ecosystem productivity NPP is the rate of generation of biomass (acts as a carbon sink)
    Measured in grams per metre squared a day
19
Q

What controls this?

A

Soil health, I.e the availability of carbon and other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus

20
Q

What is soil health depend on

A

Soil health depends on amount of organic carbon stored in soil

Capacity of soil to store carbon is determined by:
- Climate (latitude ,continentality, altitude)
- Soil type (grain size and permeability)
- Land use (natural or altered?)

21
Q

Anthropogenic pertubation

A
  • Humans have removed lots of carbon from its natural stores in a slow geological cycles
  • Only half of this carbon is being removed by the faster carbon cycle
  • Half of the increase remains
  • At the same time deforestation has slowed down the biological cycle
  • Carbon has been transferred from fossil stores into the atmosphere, so slow exchange has become fast change
22
Q

Pre industrial revolution

A

• A mixture of a fast carbon cycle (biological) and slow carbon cycle (geological)
Fairly fast fluxes / exchanges of carbon removed CO2 – a balanced carbon cycle

23
Q

Anthropogenic CC

A

• Carbon has been transferred from fossil stores into the atmosphere
Slow exchange becomes fast change

24
Q

Implications of carbon change on Climate system

A
  • Co2 causes about 20% of climate forcing, water vapour -> 50%
  • Co2 provides initial GHG heating = water vapour formation
  • When co2 drops, earth cools, water vapour condensates out of atmosphere, which limits further greenhouse warming
  • All bonds have capacity to absorb energy, so as number of water molecules increase in air will hold more energy, increasing air temperature
  • Water molecules absorb infrared radiation from the sun, leading to it being trapped in the earths atmosphere- i.e. a positive feedback loop
25
Q

Implications of carbon change on Eco Systems (phyto + plant growth)

A
  • Warmer oceans decreases phytoplankton = limiting fast oceanic carbon sequestration.
    However - more co2 fertilises phytoplankton growth, but water + nitrogen shortages limit growth
  • On land, co2 increases temp, extends growing season and humidity.
  • Dry water-stressed plants more susceptible to fire, burning forests release stored carbon into atmosphere
26
Q

Implications of carbon change on Hydrological systems (stomata, soil, vapour)

A
  • Warmer temp evaporate more water from oceans + lead to higher humidity and h2o vapour, cooling causes water vapour to condense and fall out as rain, sleet, or snow
  • Plant stomata open or close to regulate plant water losses and take in co2.
  • Soil moisture determines how much water can be extracted by plant Roots, therefore stomata size.
  • Less water + higher temperatures slows the growth of new cells, which increases the size of stomata. More water is lose, but more co2 is absorbed - plants need both
  • Drought and heat also reduce evapotranspiration which increases air and surface temp as well as making the air drier
27
Q

More than ___

A

100 million tonnes co2 absorbed by oceans each day

28
Q

Long carbon cycle involves the

A
  • long term storage of carbon, where marine organisms like shellfish and phytoplankton, build their shells by combining the calcium with carbon.
  • when they die the accumulate on the ocean floor, over many years organisms compress and become carbon rich sedimentary rock - stored for around 150 million years
29
Q

Ways carbon escapes long carbon cycle

A
  • oceanic crust, containing sedimentary rock is subducted causing the crust to melt.
  • co2 which was in the rock released to atmosphere through volcanic eruptions.
  • also sedimentary rocks near surface release co2 as they are chemically treated, as well as water chemically weathering and transporting carbon to ocean
30
Q

Fast carbon cycle

A
  • transfer of carbon between oceans, atmosphere, soils and living organisms is 10-1000 times faster than slow carbon cycle
  • co2 is absorbed by phytoplankton by photosynthesis and stored in tissues
31
Q

How is carbon escaped from fast carbon cycle

A
  • respiration by living organisms releases co2 into the atmosphere
  • co2 is exchanged between the atmosphere and oceans with co2 dissolved in surface water and a return of co2 to the atmosphere by evaporation.
32
Q

Ecosystem productivity =

A

How much photosynthesis occurring

33
Q

Fossil fuel combustion implication for climate

A
  • rise in mean global temp
  • More precipitation and evap
  • Sudden weather pattern shifts
  • More extreme weather events
34
Q

Fossil fuel implication for ecosystems

A
  • sea level - ecstatic + isostatic SLR
  • Ecosystems - decline in goods/ services provide, less biodiversity, changes in species distribution, ocean acid
35
Q

Fossil fuel implications for hydro cycle

A
  • increased temp and evap rates cause more moisture to circulate around the cycle

Geog (52 decks)

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