Hydrosphere 2 session 1 Flashcards
What factors are there to note with the keeling curve?
exponential increase since 1960s
not straight in annual variations
When did measurements for the keeling curve in Mauna Loa begin?
March 1958
What was the carbon mystery
60% C emission went into atmo but where was other 40%
Where has carbon released by humans gone?
majority atmo
then almost even split between:
Land (highly variable)
Sea
What is the atmosphere like as a reservoir?
relatively small and subject to large fluxes
like “middle man” showing changes in land or sea
Where is ocean uptake of Carbon highest?
North Atlantic near arctic
Why is carbon uptake by the ocean so great near the arctic?
Cold area with colder water being able to store more gas
Formation of deep water (sinking) so more pulled in
What is the chemical change for the oceans as they absorb more carbon?
reduce pH- acidification
What law is there for Air-sea gas?
Henrys law
What does henrys law mean?
pCO2= partial pressure co2
K0= constant changes with temp or salinity
[co2]= co2 in aqueous
How does water temp affect gas solubility?
warmer less soluble
Colder more soluble
How much more co2 can ocean store than atmo?
50 times more
What is happening to oceans ability to absorb CO2?
weakening as temp increase
How does henrys law explain thermal pollution?
solubility of oxygen decreases rapidly as temp increases (harmful to biota- oxygen minimum zones)
What does future CO2 uptake into oceans depend on?
CO2 concentration in the surface ocean
how long does it take to fully sequester an emission of carbon?
hundreds of thousands of years
What will be most affected by ocean acidification?
organisms with CaCO3 exoskeleton as wont form in low pH
What are the 2 most important variables for using past co2 events as analogues for the future?
Mass
Rate
Why do we care about the mass of CO2 emissions?
Determines how much climate change
Why do we care about the rate of carbon emission?
Determines whether life can keep pace via adaptation/migration
Determines whether emissions outpace natural Earth recovery mechanisms
What are the big 5 mass extinction events?
End Ordovician
Late Devonian
End-Permian (‘Great Dying’)
End-Triassic
End-Cretaceous (RIP non-avian dinos)
What mass extinction events are more frequent/ applicable to modern emissions?
Large Igneous provinces
How can large igneous provinces release carbon?
Might be trapped in the magma and then released due to not crystallising
Province might come into contact with carbon rich rock and burn (coal)
