Implications of a changing carbon cycle

Question 1

name some mitigation strategies

Answer 1

renewable switching
carbon taxation
afforestation
CCS

Question 2

name some adaptation strategies

Answer 2

land use planning
resillient agricultural systems
flood risk management
water conservation and planning

Question 3

what is renewable switching

Answer 3

swicthing from fossil fuels to renewables
relies on big energy providers and the government making decisions to change
>fossil fuels provide continuous power essential for infrastructure whereas renewables provide intermittent energy

Question 4

what is carbon taxation

Answer 4

carbon price floor tax sets a minimum price companies have to pay to emit CO2

> encourages decreased reliance on fossil fuels
unpopular with industry and environment groups and was debateable whether it decreased emissions
this policy was put on hold in 2015 and lower road taxes for low-carbon emitting cars was scrapped

> same year in 2015 oil and gas exploration tax relief was increased which supported use of fossil fuels

Question 5

what is afforestation

Answer 5

tree planting to increase carbon sequestration. Involves the Forestry commission in the UK as well as charities like the National Trust and The Woodland Trust

the big tree plant campaign is to plant 1 million trees particularly in urban areas

Question 6

what is CCS

Answer 6

Canadas boundary dam is only current large working scheme. Does the work of 40 billion trees however it still allows fossil fuels to be used which is counterproductive

recycling can occur in form of pellets created by carbonate which can be used as a fuel source

very expensive and few in action

Question 7

what is land use planning

Answer 7

soft management scheme- includes land-use zoning and buildings restrictions on vulnerable flood plains

also enforces stricter soakaways to be implemented

good with flood risk management

however leaving areas to be flooded is not an option in countries like Bangladesh and Dhaka

Question 8

what are resillient agricultural systems

Answer 8

high tech along with drough-tolerant species which are adapted to conditions caused by climate change and new diseases

also low tech like creating better and healthier soils to store more CO2 and water
»includes practises like selective irrigation and crop rotation and more indoor intensive farming

> however this is high cost in terms of tech and there are concerns of using GM crops but this is outweighed by increasing food insecurity

Question 9

what is flood risk management

Answer 9

hard management used usually such as river dredging and flood defences
also techniques such as permeable concrete
> more afforestation upstream to absorb water and reduce flooding downstream

land owner may want compensation for having their land used for afforestation of to be allowed to flood
>expensive

Question 10

what is water conservation and planning

Answer 10

less resources are used in this method through methods such as less groundwater abstraction
>attitudes towards recycling grey water is increasing such as use of rainwater harvesters to flush toilets in homes

> relies on changing cultural habitats and ways such as more smart meters to be used
even recycling grey water wouldnt be enough to fit increasing demand for water
recycling water for agricultural use

Question 11

why are both adaptation and mitigation strategies needed

Answer 11

mitigation will prevent further damage and make countries like UK be able to reach goal of being carbon neutral within the next 10-20 years

> however adaptation strategies are needed to help live with the damage that has already been done and help us to see risk posed by the degradation of the carbon cycle which has caused extreme droughts and flooding in different regions of the world.

Question 12

how are israel using water conservation and management strategies

Answer 12

developed ways to manage limitted supplies of water such as smart irrigation where drip systems allow certain amounts of water to be fed to crops

Question 13

when was carbon taxation “Carbon price floor” enforced in UK

Answer 13

2013

tax on fossil fuels used to generate electricity

Question 14

(Renewable switching) how much has swedens dependence of fossil fuels fallen by?

Answer 14

75% of energy mix in 1970

now 20%

Question 15

how much of swedens renewable energy is HEP or nuclear

Answer 15

83%

Question 16

how much of sweden renewable is wind

Answer 16

7%

Question 17

how much does Canandas boundary dam ai to cut emissions by

Answer 17

90% by trapping it in the ground rather than atmosphere

Question 18

how is the water cycle precipitation patterns changing

Answer 18

> precipitation pattern&raquo_space;» existing weather pattern get stronger (wet places will get wetter ect)
in higher lattitudes and increased desert expansion
more flash flooding due to intense flooding which will effect people

Question 19

how is the water cycle river regimes changing due to a changing carbon cycle

Answer 19

river regime is the annual variation in discharge or flow at a particular point
this can be influenced by climate

Increased temperatures mean more snow and ice melt and an increase and more intense precipitation
permafrost will also thaw and add to arctic rivers
>rivers will dry up in amazon where preciptation is reduced or less effective due to higher transpiration rates

Question 20

how is the water cycles water stores changing due to carbon cycle change

Answer 20

cryosphere has been losing mass as ice sheets and glaciers melt
>arctic temperature have risen twice as much last 20 years
>this will effect ocean currents, air ciculation and sea level rise and flooding
»»>antarctic ice shelves like Ronne and Ross will melt adding more freshwater to southern oceans and therfore changing density and convection currents of ocean
ALSO decrease in smaller/ temperate glaciers will stop water sources for many who live in alpine regions

Question 21

where is Yukon

why is it under threat

Answer 21

territroy in northwest canada with a significant part in the arctic circle
> like many arctic areas temps are rising here
>this will impavct water cycle in the 3 ways: precipitation patterns, water stores and river regimes

Question 22

how will impacts to water cycle effect Yukon

Answer 22

> more evaporation and atmospheric water vapour
snowfall precipitation has decreased between 1950 and 1998 and more falls as rain
snow melt begins earlier in the spring which has chnaged river regimes so there is an earlier peak flow
total ice area has shrunk by 22% since 1958
soil absorbing more water as permafrost thaws
inflows to Yukon river increased by 39% due to these processes

more positive feedback loops are created

Question 23

how much has total ice area has shrunk by since 1958 in Yukon

Answer 23

22%

Question 24

how much have inflows to yukon river increased by since 1958 due to increased evaporation and rainfall

Answer 24

39%

Question 25

describe the trends seen in the Arctic over the last 20 years

Answer 25

antarctic and greenland ice sheets have been losing mass and and arctic sea ice has declined in thickness
>Arctic acts as a warning system and measure of impacts of fossil fuel use on climate
>

Question 26

how much have temps increased by in the Arctic

Answer 26

twice as much

Question 27

when was the hottest year on record so far

Answer 27

2015

1 degrees above the pre-industrial era

Question 28

how wil the sahal, Mediterranean and south africa and S. asia be affected

Answer 28

drier
drought
some uncertainty with this due to El Nino effect

Question 29

why will mediterranean lose water

Answer 29

a shift of subtropical high pressure areas will move north causing them to recieve 20-30% less rain

Question 30

how will the climate be impacted by changes of the carbon cycle

Answer 30

> drought
humidity will increase» more precipitation in higher latitudes
number of cold days and nights will decrease and there will be more extreme heat events

Question 31

when was there a big drought in the amazon

Answer 31

2005, 2010mand 2014-15

Question 32

how much of terrestrial vegetation crbon store is in the amazon

Answer 32

17%

Question 33

what were the impacts of drought in the amazon

Answer 33

billions of trees died
rivers dried up, fish died
less carbon stored in forest as drier

Question 34

how much co2 does rainforest usually absorb per year

Answer 34

1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 a year

Question 35

how much CO2 was released in amazon in 2005

Answer 35

5 billion tonnes

Question 36

how much CO2 was released in amazon in 2010

Answer 36

8 billion tonnes

Question 37

what are the concerns over the amazon regarding changing climate

Answer 37

> fears that amazon will become a carbon source than a sink which will accelerate global warming more

due to increased temps and altered rainfall patterns

Question 38

how are ecosystems impacted by changing carbon cycle

Answer 38

> marine biodiveristy lost
bird habitats reduced
extinction of animals
more disease to affect plants
migration
acidification of sea water carbonic acid and calcifying organisms
poorer soilhealth due to less rainfall and permafrost will thaw

Question 39

how much of coral reefs may be bleached

Answer 39

80% eg great barrier

Question 40

how many bird specied are effected by fewer bird habitats in north amaerica

Answer 40

314 species

Question 41

what % of land species with limited adaptability to chnaging climate will go extinct

what are the rates of extinction of all species

Answer 41

10%

15040% all species particulary those in arctic

Question 42

how much further north do species of butterflies move north each decade?

Answer 42

6.1km

Question 43

what do forests provide for humans

Answer 43

> maintains atmosphere through photosynthesis
wellbeing
improve food nutrition and security
good such as water, food, fuels, wood
source of medicines
help prevent landslides and flooding by interception

Question 44

evaluate the view that changes to the carbon cycle pose more threats to people than changes to the water cycle (20)

Ways that it causes more threats to people
model answer plan

part 1 of 2

Answer 44

one way it can be argued that changes to the carbon cycle causes more threats to people than changes to water cycle is:

> there will be less resources due to increased wildfires in places like the Amazon rainforest because of more arid conditions due to increased global temperatures. Many of the worlds undiscovered medicines could be found in the rainforest. Disease is also becoming more of a threat due to changing climate due to higher levels of atmospheric CO2 so these potential drugs are needed more than ever. There will also be less wood to use as fuel which is the source of 1/3 people globally

> wellbeing of people, many rely on nature for aesthetic, spiritual and recreational reasons, this comes under threat due to to changes of carbon cycle causing higher global temperatures&raquo_space;»droughts and unadapted plants to warmer conditions will die&raquo_space;>forest loss. Positive feedback loop created where the Amazon becomes a carbon source rather than sink and releases 8 billion tonnes CO2 anually contributing to more climate change and more arid climates
this still effects water cycle as there will be decreased evapotranspiration and less rainfall and more desertification of areas particularly in the Amazon

Question 45

evaluate the view that changes to the carbon cycle pose more threats to people than changes to the water cycle (20)

Ways that it causes more changes to water cycle
model answer plan

part 2 of 2

Answer 45

> more rainfall in higher latitudes such as Western Europe due to higher rates of evapotranspiration causing more moisture to be in the air. Shifting rainfall patterns will mean that there are greater changes to the water cycle at lower latitudes. Places like the Sahal and mediterranean will experience less rainfall (a shift of subtropical high pressure areas will move north causing them to recieve 20-30% less rain) however this could have a knock on effect on people living in these areas as people in higher latitudes will experience more flooding, whereas people in places like the Sahal will not be able to grow crops due to desertification of land. Species that poeple rely on will also die out. Both increase stress and threaten resillience of communities

> higher temperatures and the release of carbon dioxide due to human activities such as fossil fuels will saturate oceans causing Ocean acidification&raquo_space;> 80% coral reefs could be bleached and ecosystems will die and ocean similarly to rainforests will become a carbon store not sink. This will accelerate climate change by adding more dissolved carbon to the atmosphere by evaporation of surface waters contributing to increased rainfall and extreme weather.
Coral reefs support livlihoods of many people particularly in Australia for stakeholder in area BUT also provides a lot of worlds oxygen

While coral reefs only cover 0.0025 percent of the oceanic floor, they generate half of Earth’s oxygen and absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide generated from burning fossil fuels

Question 46

why are coral reefs important

Answer 46

While coral reefs only cover 0.0025 percent of the oceanic floor, they generate half of Earth’s oxygen and absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide generated from burning fossil fuels

home to 25% marine species