Carbon Cycle and Climate Change Projections + Modelling

Question 1

What is the Carbon Cycle?

Answer 1

Flow of carbon through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, terrestrial and marine biosphere, and lithosphere (NOT CRYOSPHERE)

Question 2

Define the difference between a carbon sink and source?

Answer 2

A sink is any process that removes a GHG from the atmosphere and a source is any process that releases GHG into the atmosphere

Question 3

What is a Reservoir of Carbon and what is another word for it?

Answer 3

A component of the climate system which has the capacity to store, accumulate, or release a substance
Other term: Pool

Question 4

The stock is?

Answer 4

The absolute quantity of the substance held within a reservoir at a specified time

Question 5

What are reservoirs measured in?

Answer 5

Petagrams (PgC)

1 PgC = quadrillion gC (10 to power of 15)

Question 6

Since pre-industrial to anthropogenic times (now), what are some reservoirs that are showing changes in their stock levels?

Answer 6

Atmosphere: increase carbon stocks
(caused by fossil fuels, net land use change, ocean-atmosphere gas exchange, respiration and fire)
Intermediate and deep sea (LARGEST RESERVOIR): increase carbon stocks
Fossil fuel reserves: decrease carbon stocks
Vegetation: decrease carbon stocks

Question 7

Finish this statistic: The Co2 emitted from human activities during the decade of 2010-2019 was distributed between three Earth system (reservoir):

Answer 7

46% accumulated in atmosphere
23% taken up by the ocean
31% stored by vegetation in terrestrial ecosystems

Question 8

What are four major sources of global anthropogenic Co2 emissions? (Largest to smallest)
When and where was this statistic released?

Answer 8

Land use change
Gas
Oil
Coal

In 2021 in AR6

Question 9

In 2022, the annual average atmospheric CO2 was:
In 1959, the annual average atmospheric CO2 was:
In 1750, the annual average atmospheric CO2 was:

Answer 9

418.57 ppm
315.98 ppm
280.00 ppm

Question 10

GHGs Co2, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide increased from levels in 1750-2019 by:

Answer 10

47%, 156% and 23% respectively

Question 11

What is a Carbon Cycle feedback?

Answer 11

Changes in the properties of the land and ocean carbon cycle in response to climate change, such as to temperature and circulation or photosynthesis and soil microbial respiration

Question 12

What are shared socio-economic pathways?

Answer 12

Illustrative scenarios covering range of possible future development of anthropogenic drivers of climate change

Question 13

SSPs start in __ and include

Answer 13

2015

Scenarios with high and very high GHG emissions, double from current levels (SSP5-8.5 2050 & SSP3-7.0 2100)

Scenarios with intermediate GHG emissions, remaining around current levels (SSP2-4.5)

Scenarios with very low and low GHG emissions, declining to net zero around or after 2050 (SSP1-2.6 around 2050 and SSP1-1.9 after 2050)

Question 14

What is a climate model?

Answer 14

Qualitative or quantitative representation of the climate system - properties of its components, interactions and feedback processes

Question 15

Projects are computed with the…

Answer 15

Aid of a model, conditional on assumptions concerning future developments that may or may not be realised

Question 16

TEMPERATURE:
Global surface temperatures will increase until ___ under all emission scenarios

Answer 16

Mid-century

Question 17

Relative to a 1850-1900 baseline, what are the projected increases in global surface temperature for each scenario at 2100?

Answer 17

SSP1-1.9 = 1.5C
SSP1-2.6 = 2C
SSP2-4.5 = 2.5C
SSP3-7.0 = 4C
SSP5-8.5 = 5C

Question 18

Land/ocean warm more than land/ocean and the arctic and antarctica/tropics warm more than the arctic and antarctica/tropics

Answer 18

Land
Ocean
Arctic and Antarctica
Tropics

Question 19

Precipitation is likely to decrease/increase over… but increase/decrease over…

Answer 19

Increase
- High latitudes
- Equatorial pacific
- Monsoon regions

Decrease
- Subtropics

Question 20

Under scenarios with increasing Co2 emissions, the ocean and land carbon sinks are…

Answer 20

projected to be less effective at slowing accumulation of Co2 in the atmosphere

SSP1-1.9 70% taken up
SSP1-2.6 65% taken up
SSP2-4.5 54% taken up
SSP3-7.0 44% taken up
SSP5-8.5 38% taken up

Question 21

What changes are irreversible for centuries to millennia ?

Answer 21

Loss of ice sheets, and glaciers
Global sea level