Carbon Cycle and Climate Change Flashcards

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1
Q

Energy balance of the Earth

A

Determined by the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the planet versus the amount radiated back into space.

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2
Q

Role of carbon in the atmosphere

A

Carbon dioxide and methane absorb long-wave radiation and trap heat

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3
Q

Carbon Cycle: Key processes

A
  1. Photosynthesis
  2. Respiration
  3. Decomposition
  4. Ocean uptake
  5. Fossil fuel combustion
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4
Q

Fast carbon cycle

A

Involves short-term processes like:
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration/Oxidation
- Ocean uptake/off-gassing
- Biodegradation
- Sedimentation
- Advection

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5
Q

Slow carbon cycle

A

Long-term geological processes:
- Weathering of rocks
- Ocean sedimentation
- Fossil fuel formation
- Volcanic eruptions

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6
Q

Coal formation

A
  1. Huge forests grew 300 million years ago covering most of the land
  2. The vegetation dies and forms peat
  3. Peat is compressed to form lignite
  4. Further compression forms bituminous coal
  5. Eventually anthracite forms
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7
Q

Natural gas and oil formation

A
  1. Marine plants and animals die and sink to the bottom of the seabed
  2. The plant and animal layer gets covered with mud
  3. Overtime, more sediment creates pressure, compressing the dead plants and animals into oil
  4. Oil moves up through the porous rocks and eventually forms a reservoir
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8
Q

Oil and natural gas extraction (4)

A

Conventional drilling
Fracking
Offshore drilling

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9
Q

Peak Oil

A

The point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of crude oil is reached, and after that the extraction is expected to enter final decline

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10
Q

Climate tipping points

A

Levels of climate change that trigger “large-scale discontinuities” in the climate system that commit the world to long-term irreversible change

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11
Q

What are the climate tipping points? (6)

A

Permafrost
Amazon
Coral reefs
Atlantic circulation
Ice sheets
Boreal forests

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12
Q

Permafrost tipping point

A

Melting ice facilitates mass decomposition of organic matter releasing massive amounts of methane.

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13
Q

Amazon tipping point

A

Drought causes enough forest loss to permanently reduce rainfall and shift to savanna

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14
Q

Coral reefs tipping point

A

Mass die-off from combination of heating, acidification, and pollution

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15
Q

Atlantic circulation

A

Melting Greenland ice sheet weakening flow of warm nutrient rich water to North Atlantic

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16
Q

Ice sheets

A

Melting reduces albedo causing more warming and exposes more ice causing more melting

17
Q

Boreal forests

A

Sub-Arctic forests more prone to fire and mass die-off from pests, releasing more carbon to atmosphere

18
Q

Carbon budget

A

Refers to the maximum allowable CO₂ emissions to limit global temperature rise.

To limit global warming to 2°C, cumulative anthropogenic emissions must stay below 1000 Pg of carbon.