carbon budget Flashcards
measured in…
petagrams
1Pg = 1 000 000 000 000 000g
what is the carbon budget
- uses data to describe amount of carbon thats stored and transferred within carbon cycle
- estimates how much carbon should or should not be consumed by human activity
- aims to manage creation of co2, methane etc
what do humans use fossil fuels for?
- energy: heat, electricity
- agriculture (deforestation, farming cattle etc)
- transport
- industry/manufacturing
geo-sequestration
technology capturing greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and pumping them into underground reservoirs
radioactive forcing
the difference between the incoming solar energy absorbed by the earth and energy radiated back to space
soil organic carbon
the organic constitutes in the soil; tissues from dead plants and animals, products produced as these decompose and the soil microbial biomass
enchanted greenhouse effect
impact on climate from the additional heat retained due to increased amounts of CO2 that humans have released since the industrial revolution
impacts of carbon budget on land
- carbon as organic matter is essential
- more CO2 means more photosynthesis so more growth
- means increased growing season for plants
- increased temperatures so increases decaying matter
impacts of carbon budget on atmosphere
- CO2 at 400ppm and set to increase more
- increases greenhouse effect
- up to 20% of additional CO2 will remain in atmosphere for thousands of years
impacts of carbon budget on climate
- warmer temperatures will increase humidity and cloud cover and photosynthesis and respiration increase
- however deforestation leads to less photosynthesis and less humid conditions
impacts of carbon budget on oceans
- decreasing ocean salinity as more freshwater being added when icd melts
- slowing down circulation in North East Atlantic
- rising sea levels
