module 5-green house gasses & climate change

Question 1

what are greenhouse gasses

Answer 1

natural and manmade atmospheric gases that trap heat

Question 2

what is the greenhouse gas effect

Answer 2

it occurs when some of the solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface is radiated back to the atmosphere as heat where it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases

Question 3

how do greenhouse gasses work

Answer 3

they absorb the heat let off from the earth and create a blanket of warmth around the earth by preventing all of the heat from escaping beyond the atmosphere

Question 4

how much atmospheric gasses do GHG account for (excluding water vapor)

Answer 4

less than one percent

Question 5

are GHGs always bad

Answer 5

no, they are essential for life

Question 6

what would happen if there was no such thing as GHGS

Answer 6

the temp on earth would vary, like the temperatures on the moon, from 134C when the surface is facing the sun and -153C when the surface of the moon is away from the sun

Question 7

how much water vapor is on earth

Answer 7

it can range from 0-4% depending on location, season, and time of day

Question 8

what characteristic does water vapor have that other GHGs don’t have

Answer 8

water vapor is a condensable gas and the amount of water vapor in the air increases as temperature increases

Question 9

what causes global warming

Answer 9

an increase in the amount of GHGs

Question 10

what is the major naturally occurring GHGs

Answer 10

CO2, CH4, N2O, and H2O

Question 11

what GHGs are naturally cycled in the earth’s biosphere through the soil-plant-animal process

Answer 11

methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide

Question 12

what is the global warming potential of CH4

Answer 12

about 25x that of CO2

Question 13

what is the global warming potential of N2O

Answer 13

about 298x the potential of CH4

Question 14

how does the amount and power of N2O and CH4 compare to CO2

Answer 14

nitrous oxide and methane have much more potential energy absorbers but there is much less N2O and CH4 than CO2. but they will have a much higher proportional effect on global warming

Question 15

how is the greenhouse gas potentials expresses

Answer 15

in terms of CO2 equivalents. which is calculated by multiplying the metric tonnes of the gas released by its global warming potental

Question 16

at what point was there a dramatic increase in GHGs

Answer 16

data over the last 2000 years have demonstrated a huge increase in GHGs have occurred since the industrial revolution

Question 17

in the last two decades how much has CO2 increased.

Answer 17

by 30 parts per million prior to that it never increased that much over a 1000 year period

Question 18

post-industrial revolution how were all the GHGs believed to be caused

Answer 18

human-caused as a result of burning fossil fuels for energy

Question 19

how much has the temperature of the earth increased since the 1800s

Answer 19

the mean temperature of the earth’s surface has risen 0.6oC

Question 20

what is the predicted temperature increase supposed to be for the year 2100

Answer 20

it ranges from 1.4C to 5.8C

Question 21

what does global climate change refer to

Answer 21

refers to the increasing changes in measures of climate over a long period of time and global warming is one aspect of global climate change

Question 22

what word more accurately defines the effects of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Answer 22

global climate change

Question 23

what other alterations come with global climate change

Answer 23

changes in precipitation patterns causing increases in drought areas as well as flooding, changes in wind patterns, more frequent and severe storms, and hurricanes, increase sea levels as polar ice melts and coastal lands will be lost.

Question 24

how will affect agriculture be affected by global climate change

Answer 24

Changes in growing seasons and alterations in the plants that can survive in different areas of the world will occur as a consequence of climate change; this will benefit some areas of the world and be devastating to others.

Question 25

how does the natural carbon cycle work

Answer 25

carbon cycle involving plants, animals and the soil releases CO2 and CH4 into the atmosphere and removes them from the atmosphere; anthropogenic activities increase the amount of CO2 and CH4 released into the atmosphere to a level above that which can be taken up by plants and the soil

Question 26

what do plants do to atmospheric CO2

Answer 26

they convert it into biomass. from there carbon accumulates in the soil as part of the organic soil content

Question 27

what happens to carbon released from the soil

Answer 27

Carbon from the soil is released to the atmosphere as CO2 or CH4 through soil respiration and microbial degradation

Question 28

what happens to carbon that is taken up through animals eating plants

Answer 28

Animals consuming plants take up carbon which is released to the atmosphere as CO2 through respiration or processed by microbial fermentation and released as CO2 or CH4. Some of the carbon is also returned to the soil through excreta or the breakdown of bodies, contributing to the organic matter (OM) of the soil

Question 29

how do human activities affect the carbon cycle

Answer 29

they disrupt the balance of the carbon cycle by producing emissions over and above what can be taken up by plants as well as by reducing carbon storage

Question 30

explain the balance of carbon between the atmosphere the soil and biotic components of the earth conditions

Answer 30

it requires equivalency between carbon release and uptake. The amount of carbon taken up from the atmosphere and released into the atmosphere from various sources.

Question 31

what does the imbalance of the carbon cycle do caused by the burning of fosses fuels and deforestation? how can we offset this increase

Answer 31

they create an imbalance in the carbon cycle resulting in a net increase in atmospheric carbon. To offset this increase, we will need to find ways of reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere and/or taking CO2 and CH4 out of the atmosphere.

Question 32

currently how much carbon are we putting into the earth, taking out, and what is the net difference

Answer 32

we are putting 117-119 billion tons into the earth, 112.5 is being taken out, there is a net difference of 4.5 to 6.5 billion tons

Question 33

what is the biggest outputs of carbon into the atmosphere

Answer 33

1) soil organic matter oxidation and erosion
2) respiration from living organisms
3) burning fossil fuels
4) deforestation

Question 34

what are the biggest contributors to the ti=hings taking carbon out of the atmosphere

Answer 34

1) photosynthesis

2) defusion into the ocean

Question 35

how does the nitrogen cycle work

Answer 35

involves the removal of nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil by nitrogen fixation carried out by soil and root bacteria

Question 36

what happens to fixed nitrogen

Answer 36

The fixed nitrogen is converted into a form that can be utilized by plants through processes of ammonification and nitrification

Question 37

how can other bacteria release fixed Nitrogen

Answer 37

Other bacteria release fixed nitrogen as N2O through denitrification

Question 38

what can increase denitrification

Answer 38

Soil disturbance can result in an increase in denitrification and N2O release into the atmosphere. Over-application of manure and man-made fertilizers containing nitrogen increases the amount of N2O released into the atmosphere and contributes to soil nitrogen. Denitrification also occurs in manure, releasing N2O into the atmosphere.