GHG Mitigation + Management

Question 1

What are the main GHGs?

Answer 1

CO2 - Carbon Dioxide
CH4 - Methane
N2O - Nitrous oxide
H2O - Water
O3 - ozone

Question 2

Why is CO2 the default for conversion/comparison of GHG?

Answer 2

It is the most abundant GHG

Question 3

What are some of the ways to get carbon credits?

Answer 3

• Retaining vegetation instead
  of clearing
• capturing gas from landfill
• reducing grazing pressure

Question 4

What are some ways to increase Soil Organic Carbon?

Answer 4

• Reduce soil disturbance (no-till)
• Organic amendments (e.g. manure, biochar)
• Crop residue retention
• Grazing management

Question 5

How do we account for Soil Carbon?

Answer 5

• Soil cores
• Dry combustion analysis in lab for carbon content
• Large number of cores required to account for spatial variation
• Flux towers

Question 6

How much of the atmosphere do GHGs make up?

Answer 6

<1%

Question 7

What is Global Warming Potential?

Answer 7

A measure of how much a given mass of GHG is estimated to contribute to global warming over 100 year time period

Question 8

What is the number of CH4 (Methane) and N2O (Nitrous Oxide) equivalent to the effect of 1kg of CO2?

Answer 8

CO2 = 1
CH4 = 25
N2O = 296

Question 9

List some major impacts of climate change.

Answer 9

• Increase in frequency and intensity of extreme events, precipitation, droughts, flooding,
  heatwaves
• Death of marine life and coral bleaching
• sea-level rise
• Ocean acidification caused by uptake of CO2 creating carbonic acid plays havoc with marine life