impacts of climate change on natural carbon sinks Flashcards
how has climate warming affected populations of the Adélie and Emperor penguins of Antarctica?
Emperor penguins need ice for breeding sites, less ice makes them more vulnerable to predation. Adelie penguins need rocks so their population will thrive with the melting of ice in Antarctica.
How might increases in temperature, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and human disturbance affect the relative abundance of lianas and trees in the tropical forest and what does this mean in terms of carbon storage and cycling?
because tropical rainforest is more fragmented from deforestation, lianas thrive at the forest edges. They compete with trees for light and can end up decreasing tree growth and causing tree mortality. This means that less carbon will be stored because lianas have a shorter lifespan (faster release of CO2) and they are shifting the carbon storage to only above ground and
how might increased temperatures affect fire frequency in the boreal forest region, its carbon stocks and cycling?
the forest will burn down before spruce has time to re-establish itself. Instead there will be birch trees that have shorter lives so carbon cycling will be more rapid and there will be no time for moss to establish itself so no protection of soil to decrease melting of permafrost. Permafrost may melt more and release methane it contains. However, the deciduous trees will have higher albedo which may help to reduce amount of fires and warming of soil.
how might increased temperature in Arctic tundra affect carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions there?
- warming and drying increase respiration through decomposition in Arctic tundra
- in water saturated soils (just warm, not dry), methane will be released because CO2 transforms into methane
-> methane is a more impactful ghg when it comes to global warming
what is the likely fate of tundra ponds with increased temperature?
number and area of tundra ponds will likely continue to decrease because there will be more growth of aquatic plants around pond margins (due to warm temperature) and there will be an increase in the depth of active layer of soil which will improve drainage leading to less water accumulation (formation of ponds)
