Carbon BK 1 Flashcards
what’s a carbon source
a store in which the release of carbon occurs at a faster rate than it’s absorbed
what’s a carbon sink
a store or reservoir in which the absorption of carbon occurs at a faster rate than it’s released
what does the word terrestrial refer to
the land
what does the word marine refer to
the seas and oceans
what are the 5 stores/sub-systems in the carbon cycle
lithosphere
atmosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere
cryosphere
how is carbon stored in the atmosphere
as carbon dioxide and methane
how much carbon does the atmosphere store
0.001%
what is carbon dioxide dissolved in
rivers lakes and oceans
what is the second largest carbon store on earth
the oceans
when is carbon transferred into soil
when living organisms die and decay
how much of the earths total carbon does the biosphere contain
0.004%
where is carbon stored in the cryosphere
in the soil of permafrost where decomposing animals have frozen into the ground
how much carbon is stored in sedimentary rock
99.9%
what does the global ocean data analysis project do
uses data from ships try to get an approximate figure of carbon in the ocean
how much carbon is estimated to be in the ocean
37,000-40,000 GTC
how much carbon is estimated to be in the biosphere
3,170 GTC
what are some main stores of carbon in the ocean
surface layer, the intermediate layer, living organic matter
how much carbon is estimated to be in the atmosphere now compared to 500 million years ago
400 ppm now, 7000 ppm 500 mill years ago
what is one vital role of carbon
regulating earths temperature
how much is carbon currently raising to per year
22ppm/ year
how much does 1 GTC ( gigatonne carbon per year) equivalate too
1 billion tonnes
what is anther word for transfer
flux
what’s the largest transfer of carbon and its units in pectagrams
photosynthesis , 120 pg/year
what’s the largest store of carbon and it’s unit in pectagram
the earths crust, 100,000,000 pg
what are two ways that humans cause transfers of carbon
burning fossil fuels
deforestation
what are 7 natural transfers of carbon
photosynthesis
respiration
combustion
decomposition
ocean uptake and loss
weathering
sequestration
describe photosynthesis as a transfer of carbon
-transfers carbon into the biomass (plants)
-using energy from the sun to convert CO2, which is then passed through plants through decomposition and respiration
describe respiration as a transfer of carbon
-transfers carbon from living organisms into the atmosphere
-plants and animals break down glucose that releases carbon dioxide and methane
describe combustion as a transfer of carbon
-transfers carbon that’s stored in living, dead and decomposed biomass
-wildfires=loss of vegetation = decreases photosynthesis=less carbon removed from the atmosphere
describe decomposition as a transfer of carbon
-transfers carbon from dead biomass into the atmosphere and soils
-death of microorganism, bacteria breaks organisms down and therefore CO2 is released
describe ocean uptake and loss as a transfer of carbon
-CO2 is directly dissolved from the atmosphere into the ocean
-organisms can directly take in carbon in the ocean
-carbon into the atmosphere, rich water rises to surface and releases CO2
describe weathering as a transfer of carbon
-chemical weathering transfers carbon from atmosphere into the hydrosphere and biosphere
describe sequestration as a transfer of carbon
-carbon from the atmosphere is sequestered in sedimentary rock
-carbon is sequestered until humans combust it
what does sequestration mean
captured and held
what are four human induced transfers of carbon
fossil fuel extraction and combustion
deforestation
farming practices
land use changes
describe how fossil fuel extractions and combustion is a transfer of carbon
-these processes release carbon into the atmosphere
-without human intervention this carbon would have been sequestered for thousands/millions of years
-humans are to blame
describe how deforestation is a transfer of carbon
-forests tend to be cleared for agriculture, logging or to
make way for new housing/building developments
-reduces size of carbon store
-if forest is burnt then carbon will flow from biosphere to atmosphere fast
describe how farming practices is a transfer of carbon
-animals release CO2 and methane when they respite and digest food
-ploughing can release CO2 stored in soil
-growing rice in rice paddies, releases a lot of methane
describe how land use changes is a transfer of carbon
-vegetation is removed to make way for buildings which reduced carbon storage in the biosphere
-concrete production = more CO2
how does photosynthesis vary over time and space
-more photosynthesis with more light=more in day
-happens in amazon more, because of less fluctuating daylight hours
-more frequent in the summer than winter
how does the rate of weathering vary if time and space
-physical weathering will occur less in summer months and tropical areas
-northern latitude areas like Canada will see more freeze thaw
- rapid chemical weathering is more frequent in warmer areas
how does decomposition vary over time and space
time = less in winter months bc of less microorganisms
space=more decomposition in tropical environments bc warmer and wetter than cold
how does ocean uptake and loss vary over time and space
-ocean loss happens more in areas of carbon rich water
-colder areas can uptake and absorb more carbon, such as the arctic ocean will uptake more than the Indian ocean
what is the two ways carbon budget can be defined
1)the number of greenhouse gases that can be spent/emitted for a given level of global warming
2) the balance of exchanges between the major stores of carbon, the balance of inputs and outputs in the subsystems like the atmosphere
what is one way the carbon budget is important
information on global carbon budgets enables policy makers to evaluate a range of mitigation options, to meet long term global temperature goals
what’s another way of saying net 0
carbon neutral
how much of the carbon budget do we have left before we go just and exceed 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030
20%
on average how many gigatonnes of CO2 is emitted per day
42 gigatonnes
what’s the potential impacts of exceeding the carbon budget
more extreme weather events
more floods
more heatwaves
water shortages
global sea levels rise by 1m
more severe wild fires
what are 2 things we can do to prolong the carbon budget and not go bust by 2030
ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030
offshore wind and more renewable energy sources
what are the 3 impacts grouped into in terms of climate change
land based
ocean based
atmosphere based
how is crop production a land based impact of climate change
crop production will reduce on average by 6%, meat and dairy production reduced because of heat stress and reproduction issues
what does the cryosphere and permafrost have to do with land based climate change impacts
increased permafrost melting causing eustatic sea level rise
what are 2 social land based impacts of climate change
-increase human morbidity and death through heat and disease
-tourism could be positively impacted as “last change to see” places e.g venice
how are animals a land based impact of climate change
plants and animals will struggle with more rapid changes in seasons and temperature, more extinction
amphibians -10% reptiles -8%
how are marine organisms linked to ocean based impacts
marine organisms moving towards higher latitude, most of these and life on the coral reefs will die at 1.5 warming
what can global warming do to the oceanic carbon pump
slows down the oceanic carbon pump, therefore it has less ability to absorb CO2, this can impact marine life
define the biological carbon pump
the oceans biologically driven sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere and land
what can an increase in CO2 do to ocean acidification
increase it
what is ocean acidification
a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, primarily caused by the uptake of carbon
why is ocean acidification a problem
it reduces the amount of carbon in seawater, which makes it more difficult for marine organisms to form their shells and skeletons meaning they could potentially die
what are two atmospheric based climate change impacts
-the carbon cycle affects the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, which traps infrared radiation which warms the planet
-drought and dryness increases especially in desert locations
have governments overall been successful in managing the potential impacts of climate change, and why
no,
discussions have been going on for 30+ years and little progress has been made, during COP26 landmark agreements have been made such as reducing deforestation by 2030
and greater agreements between china and USA in terms of “phasing down” of coal, this should be “phasing out”
better management at a national scale, the UK has set laws in terms of management of climate
what are 3 obstacles in the way of achieving climate action
1)climate change denial
2)the economics of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
3)the politics of mitigation policies
what are 3 scientific organisations that show global warming
US Climate Centre
Japanese Met Office
NASA
when did we become concerned about climate change and it’s impacts
4 decades ago
how much hotter is the earth now compared to pre industrial times
1 degree
to what levels have heat waves increased in the UK
30X more
how many tonnes of ice has the greenland ice sheet lost
4 trillion tonnes
on what scale is the greenland ice sheet loosing ice compared to 25 years ago
5X more ice
how much on average has sea levels rose by in the last 100 years
20cm
how does photosynthesis link all water, carbon and climate change
the process involves both water and carbon, it’s the most important transfer of carbon as it takes it from the atmosphere
is photosynthesis an example of positive or negative feedback
negative, because it has positive impacts
how does decomposition link water, carbon and climate change
happens in wet and humid climates, carbon is transferred into the atmosphere and soils
is decomposition an example of positive or negative feel back
positive, as it has negative impacts such as warming the earth as it releases carbon
how does weathering link water carbon and climate change
all weathering, especially chemical all need water to occur
when the rock actually breaks down it releases carbon into the atmosphere from the ground
how does precipitation link water carbon and climate change
precipitation falls on exposed soils, causes erosion through surface run off, this means carbon will be transferred into rivers and oceans
how is water, carbon and climate change linked on a regional scale e.g in the southern ocean
there is an increased number of icebergs due to climate change which contain large amounts of mineral rich debris, when melting occurs this is released which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton
what does phytoplankton do
photosynthesise and remove carbon from the atmosphere, negative feedback
how are fish and phytoplankton linked
fish feed off phytoplankton which transfers carbon to the sea bed when they die
how is water carbon and climate change linked on a global scale
the fact that climate change and the climate are supercharging these systems : melting, carbon in the atmosphere and evaporation
how much oxygen is phytoplankton responsible for producing
50% of what we breathe
what did the WWF Living Planet Report 2022 find about global wildlife populations
they have plummeted by 69% since 1970
how much has mineral extraction, CO2 emissions and meat production rose by in the last 50 years
ME = 193%
CO2 = 146%
MP = 244%
