Lecture 23: Global Ecology Flashcards
Global Ecology
- Elements move among geologic, atmospheric, oceanic, and biological pools at a global scale -> Carbon main focus
Earth is warming because of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses - Share atmosphere and an ocean (keep this in mind)
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- Global cycling of carbon ( C ), nitrogen (N), phosphorus(P) emphasized because opf biological importance
- Roles in human alteration of the global environment
- Marine biota-> surface ocean waters-> atmosphere
Carbon Pools Located In
- Rocks
- Atmosphere
- Surface ocean waters
- Benthic sediments
- Marine biota
- Solis
- Vegetation
- Deep ocean water
- Every single pool affects another all dependent on carbon diffusion
Carbon
critical for energy transfer and biomass
Pool or resivoir
- Amount of an element in a component of the biosphere
- Movement among these pools is over weeks to decades
Flux
rate of movement of an element between pools
Atmosphere Through Diffusion Will ___
have carbon going from surface ocean waters to marine biota then deep ocean waters
4 Major Pools
- Ocean
- Dissolves CO2
- But think of the deep oceans - Atmosphere
- Vegetation and soils
- Rocks and sediments
- 3 fluxes were unbalanced creating patterns of precipitation (atmosphere, forest and fauna, soils)
Anthropogenic
- Release of C to the atmosphere
- Before mid-nineteenth century deforestation was the main flux
- Removing forest canopy warms the soli
- Increases rates of decomposition and respiration
- Burning trees release CO2 and small amounts of CO and CH4
In the 20th Century Major Deforestation
- Shifted from the mid-latitudes to the tropics
- Caused from terrestrial pool results from land use change
- Mostly from deforestation (20%)
- From burning fossil fuels (80%)
Since Mid 19th Century
- CO2 concentrations have increased at a rate faster than at any other time in the past 400,00 years
- Methane is 4x the impact as greenhouse gas than CO2
Emissions of CO2
more than doubled from 1970-2011
Athabasca Oil Sands
once a source of oil, economic growth and environmental concern
Fossil Fuels
- Apart of slow carbon cycle/deep carbon soil
- Further extent of the pools and flux’s carbon going through the mantle cause of subduction zone
- Deep ocean waters carbon can enter the sedimentary & soil flux
Simplified Global Carbon Cycle
Deep cycle/slow cycle can divide rocks and sediments and soils as two
Climate Change
- Refers to a directional change in climate over at least three decades
- Know the difference between weather and climate
- Weather is local and what you can see out of your window
- When you look out your window and see the first snowfall and the freezing of the local pond you are witnessing the weather
Climate Change is a Much Broader Scale
For example, a storm is not caused by climate change; however, extreme occurrences occur more frequently, suggesting climate change
What is the Reason for Polar Ice Caps Melting
- climate change
- leading cause to polar bears disappearance
Conveyer Belt Surface Water
- Sinks into ocean depths and travels
- Possibility of carbon being able to be stored through this conveyor belt system
Ocean Acidification
- Atmospheric CO2 affects the ocean pH by diffusing in and forming Carbonic acid
- Destroy base of food chain will destroy the entire ecosystem
- Ocean environments changing very dramatically
- Leading problem currently
1985-2010
- Noticeable drop in the pH level in ocean water
- Concerning because organisms, plants, algae, animals, etc. that have calcium carbonate skeletons aren’t being able to form with the presence of carbonic acid
