Carbon Flashcards
1
Q
What is carbon?
A
A chemical element, that can exist in its pure form or as a combination with other elements. It forms the building
blocks for plants and animals and moves within the carbon cycle.
2
Q
What is the biogeochemical component of the carbon cycle?
A
- Where carbon is stored and moved between spheres (biosphere, cryosphere etc.) through flows or fluxes
- it is a closed system, where changes result in negative or positive feedback.
3
Q
Why is the carbon cycle important?
A
- Economic development relies on fossil fuels
- energy scarcity can result in conflict
- The combustion of carbon is changing the climate
- desire for carbon is destroying ecosystems.
4
Q
Where is carbon stored in the atmosphere?
A
As CO2 in the lower layers.
5
Q
What are the inputs of carbon into the atmosphere?
A
The combustion of fossil fuels. and respiration
6
Q
What removes carbon from the atmosphere?
A
Photosynthesis by plants.
7
Q
What is the carbon store in the lithosphere?
A
Carbon is stored in the rock.
8
Q
What are examples of stores of carbon?
A
- vegetation
- animals
- atmosphere
- surface/deep ocean
- soils
- rock
9
Q
What are examples of flows of carbon?
A
- diffusion
- decomposition
- combustion
- respiration
- feeding
- photosynthesis
10
Q
What are the outputs of carbon from the lithosphere?
A
The erosion and weathering of rock.
11
Q
What are the inputs of carbon into the lithosphere?
A
Decomposition.
12
Q
Where is carbon stored in the biosphere?
A
Vegetation and animals.
13
Q
Where is carbon stored in the hydrosphere?
A
Water such as lakes, the sea or oceans.
14
Q
What are the inputs of carbon into the biosphere?
A
Photosynthesis by plants or animal feeding.
15
Q
What are the outputs of carbon from the biosphere?
A
Respiration and decomposition
16
Q
What are the inputs of carbon from the hydrosphere?
A
Diffusion.
17
Q
What are the outputs of carbon from the hydrosphere?
A
Diffusion.
18
Q
What are biofuels?
A
A few derived from living matter.
19
Q
What are examples of primary biofuels?
A
- woodchips
- fuelwood
used for domestic purposes
20
Q
What are examples of secondary biofuels?
A
- ethanol
- biodiesel
derived from processes biomass, used in vehicles and industry
21
Q
How have biofuels indirectly led to deforestation?
A
As demand for biofuels increases. The growth of sugar cane must also increase so that it can replace other pastures. These pastures are then displaced to other areas of Brazil, meaning forests must be cut down, which leads to the release of greenhouse gases.
22
Q
What are the advantages of using biofuels?
A
- release fewer GHGs than petrol
- more sustainable???
- reduce dependence on oil
- allow poorer countries to grow food crops
23
Q
What are the disadvantages of using biofuels.
A
- deforestation
- people lose farmland
- reduced biodiversity
- monoculture
- create a food shortage, raise prices
24
Q
What is peat?
A
A carbon store made from undecomposed moss and cotton grass.
25
Why are peatlands important for the environment?
- Preserve biodiversity
- minimise flood risk
- Prevent and mitigate the effects of climate change as they are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store.
26
How are peatlands distributed?
They are mostly found in the northern hemisphere as well as SE Asia.
27
How is Peat formed?
Dead plants accumulate to form peat in waterlogged conditions because plant decomposition is slowed.
28
Why are peatlands being degraded?
- Drainage and conversion for agriculture
- burning and mining for fuel.
29
How much carbon do peat soils contain?
44% of all the carbon stored in the soil.
30
Where are Peatlands disappearing?
- UK
- South East Asia, e.g. Borneo, Sumatra
31
Why are peatlands disappearing in Southeast Asia?
To make space for industrial palm oil and pulpwood plantations.
32
Why are peatlands disappearing in the uk?
They are being drained for space to plant food and fibre crops. as well as coniferous trees, and to provide space for livestock grazing.
33
How can peat lands be restored?
Stopping degradation and restoring waterlogged conditions.
34
What is the overall change in greenhouse gas emissions?
OVERALL INCREASE
- increased in Asia and Africa, but decreased in Europe and USA
35
What are the implications of an increase in greenhouse gas emissions?
- Rising temperatures
- Rising sea levels, leading to coastal flooding.
- Reduced rainfall leading to reduced yields and drought.
- Water scarcity
- More extreme weather events.
- Increased evaporation and rainfall in tropical regions.
- Rise in food prices if yields fall.
36
What is Kuznet's curve?
A model that suggests that when a country develops the damage that it will have to the environment will at first increase due to resource exploitation, but will have a turning point and fall. This is because technology becomes more efficient so resource use and pollution levels will fall.
37
What is an energy pathway?
The flow of energy from producer to consumer.
38
what are examples of energy pathways.
- pipelines
- roads
- rail
- shipping
- transmission lines
39
What is the ESPO pipeline?
East Siberian Pacific Ocean Pipeline.
It runs from Russia to China, South Korea and Japan.
40
What are examples of unconventional fossil fuels?
- tar/oil sands
- fracking
41
What is fracking?
A way of extracting shale oil and gas from rock by blasting high pressurew ater, sand and chemicals underground.
42
What is the benefit of fracking?
It meets demand for energy at a low cost.
43
What are the risks of fracking?
- Contaminated drinking water sources
- Hazardous and extremely toxic chemicals are used
- Increased release of greenhouse gases.
- Create unstable land, which is prone to earthquakes and subsidience
44
Why is methane the worst greenhouse gas?
It is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
45
Where are tar and oil sands primarily found?
Canada and Venezuela.
46
What are tar and oil sands?
A mixture of sand, clay, water and bitumen.
47
What is bitumen?
Very viscous form of petroleum.
48
How are fossil fuels obtained from tar and oil sands?
Oil is extracted using heated water so that the bitumen and sand separate. meaning it can be pumped out of the ground.
49
What are five challenges of oil sands as an unconventional fossil fuel?
- Requires lots of water.
- Requires equipment and technology.
- The water has to be heated, which requires energy and releases carbon dioxide.
- High cost.
- The water is no longer fresh so will harm the ecosystem.
50
What free processes allow fossil fuels to form?
- Compression
- Decomposition by microorganisms.
- heat
51
what is the difference between where oil, coal and gas are derived from.
Coal is derived from plants, whereas oil and gas are derived from marine animals.
52
How does coal form?
On land, Peat is compressed to form coal, over millions of years.
53
How does oil and gas form?
Dead marine animals sink to the ocean floor where. they are layered with sediment, which is then compressed into oil, which will eventually form a reservoir.
54
What is proven oil?
Oil supplies where we know the location of and are able to extract them.
55
What is unproven oil?
Supplies of oil, but we know exist, but are unable to extract from yet.
56
What are examples of countries that produce more oil than they consume.
- Russia
- Saudia Arabia
- Canada
57
What are examples of countries that consume more oil than they produce?
- China
- USA
- Italy
- India
58
What are reasons for the varying production of fossil fuels between countries?
- The technology available.
- If the country actually has fossil fuel reserves
- The cost of extracting oil.
- The demand for fossil fuels may be lower.
59
What are examples of disruptions to energy pathways?
- geopolitics
- piracy
- war/conflict
- natural disasters
60
How has geopolitics disrupted energy pathways?
Russia has cut off gas supply to Ukraine, whose pipelines supply the EU with 80% of its gas, from Russia
61
How did be ever given container ship disrupt an energy pathway?
It was stuck in the Suez Canal in 2021, so shipping ceased for eleven days.
62
How did the UK terminal explosion disrupt energy pathways?
It reduced the supply to Heathrow.
63
How have natural disasters disrupted energy pathways?
B 2005 Hurricane Katrina shut down offshore platforms and onshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico which reduced oil production.
64
How has war/ conflict affected energy pathways?
After the Iraq War, troops set fire to over 600 oil wells. Which then burnt for eight months and consumed 6 million barrels of oil. And 70 to 100 million metres cubed of gas.
65
How has piracy affected energy pathways?
- In April 2014, pirates hijacked the Japanese oil tanker in the Malacca Street and abducted 3 Crew.
- Nigeria is estimated to lose 400,000 pounds of oil a day due to pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
66
Why are trees important?
- provide goods and services
67
What are goods?
The products that you can harvest, such as wood, rubber, medicine, fruits and nuts, and cocoa beans.
68
What are services?
The things provided by trees such as livelihoods, jobs, habitats, education, sequestration and the nutrient cycle.
69
What human activities have threatened the carbon and water cycles?
- deforestation
- arable farming
- oil drilling
- overabstraction
70
How has deforestation affected the carbon cycle?
It has removed a carbon sink so there is more carbonate in the atmosphere. The subsequent burning of trees adds carbon dioxide.
71
How has deforestation affected the water cycle?
There is reduced interception of water, leading to less infiltration and more surface runoff. There is also less evaporation, leading to a drier local climate.
72
How has arable farming affected the water cycle?
Heavy machinery, compact soil reducing infiltration. Agrochemicals may reduce water quality.
73
How has arable farming affected the carbon cycle?
The photosynthesis and respiration by growing plants has stored and released carbon
74
What impacts have humans had in Kalimantan in Borneo?
There is the fasting cutting down of rainforest for locking, which has made space for agriculture. This cutting and burning of trees has wiped out plants and animal species. When farmers have decided to plant crops, it has failed as the topsoil is easily washed away and there is little nutrientss. As a result, this area has been left as a barrem wasteland.
75
How are Costa Rica reducing the human impacts?
- National parks do protect rainforests.
- Ecotourism with small groups.
- Small scale forestry.
- Sustainable farming by only planting crops that would naturally grow there.
76
Describe the trend in annual net change in forest area between 1990 and 2015.
- There is a net grain of trees within the northern hemisphere in countries such as China, russia USA India, Spain, Italy and France.
- There is a net loss in the southern hemisphere in Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, DRC and Australia.
- China is anomalous. As despite being in the southern hemisphere, there is a net gain.
77
What are examples of large scale strategies to increase forest cover.
- 2014 New York Declaration on Forests which set targets to restore deforested landscapes
- EU afforestation grant encourages planting a forest for their terrestrial carbon store.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund in India charges fees on companies for clear forests. The money is then used for a forestation.
78
What can be the problems of afforstation?
- There could be a reduction in biodiversity and introduction of potentially invasive or non native species due to poor management.
- Monocultures. Could be using more water or more disease probe. They also lack diversity.
79
What are the reasons for deforestation and loss of trees?
- To make space for infrastructure, dams, and reservoirs.
- For opencast mining.
- Due to increasing demand for commodities.
80
What are some impacts of deforestation on the water cycle?
- Reduced infiltration and evapotranspiration
- runoff and erosion increased
- Annual rainfall reduced and seasonality increases.
- flood peaks higher and lag times shorter.
81
What are the impacts of deforestation on soil health?
- Rapid soil erosion leads to loss of nutrients.
- Soil loses fertility due to leaching
82
What are the impacts of deforestation on the atmosphere?
- increased CO2
- drier air due to less evaporation
83
What are the impacts of deforestation on the biosphere?
- decrease in habitats and species
- species diversity reduced
- biomass loss
84
What is sequestration?
The absorption and storing of carbon.
85
What are the three oceanic carbon cycle pumps?
- biological
- physical
- carbonate
86
what are mitigation strategies for climate change?
strategies that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere
87
what are examples of mitigation strategies for climate change?
- renewables/recyclables
- carbon capture storage
- afforestation
- international agreements
88
what are examples of international agreements for mitigating climate change?
- IPCC in 1988
- Earth Summit in 1992
- Kyoto Protocol in 1997
- UN Paris Agreement in 2015
89
how can afforestation mitigate climate change?
Younger trees absorb more carbon because they are growing. So older trees should but cut and replaced to maximize carbon sequestration.
90
how can carbon capture storage (CCS) mitigate climate change?
During energy production carbon is capture then turned into a dense liquid and stored underground.
CCS can reduce carbon emissions of a typical coal burning power plant by 90%
91
what are the benefits of CCS?
- reduces carbon emissions whilst allowing the UK to still burn cheap fossil fuels
- lots of storage potential in the UK
92
what are the negatives of CCS?
- expensive
- not all carbon is captured
- UK remains stuck using non-renewables
93
where is an example of renewables being used?
micro hydroelectricity in rural Peru
94
what were the benefits of micro hydroelectricity in Peru?
- improved healthcare and education
- business development
- reduced flood risk as river flow is controlled
- less need to burn wood
- 24/7 electricity and lighting
95
what are adaptation strategies for climate change?
strategies that help communities to cope with climate change
96
what are examples of adaptation strategies for climate change?
- changes in agricultural systems
- managing water supply
- reducing risk from rising sea levels
97
what are the consequences of climate change on agriculture and farming?
- increased yields of wheat, potatoes, grass, plaice and new species/crops introduced
- crop losses due to flooding
- timber quality reduced due to drier weather and pests
- reduced cod species
98
what are examples of farming strategies to adapt to climate change?
- alter species grown
- GM crops
- diguettes in Sub-Saharan Africa
- water 'harvesting' technology
- water drainage systems
99
what are examples of strategies for managing water supply for climate change adaptation?
- Kielder water transfer scheme in NE England
- water saving, reuse and recycling in UK
- desalination to recover freshwater from oceans
- Tube wells in Bangladesh to obtain groundwater
100
how can the risks of rising sea levels be reduced as part of climate change adaptation?
- Abandon land not worth saving economically
- Plan for climate change
- Engineer coastal defenses
101
