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8th: Science Semester 2 > U3L1 Carbon Cycle and the Ocean > Flashcards

U3L1 Carbon Cycle and the Ocean Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

When people eat plants/animals that have eaten plants what happens to the carbon within the food?

A

The carbon is rearranged to form molecules such as proteins and DNA

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2
Q

What percentage of our body is carbon?

A

18%

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3
Q

What percentage of carbon dioxide is in our atmosphere?

A

0.04%

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4
Q

What percentage of our atmosphere is nitrogen?

A

78%

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5
Q

What percentage of our atmosphere is oxygen?

A

21%

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6
Q

How long can it take for carbon to cycle from living organisms to the geosphere?

A

Millions of years

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7
Q

People release the carbon from ________ to the atmosphere quickly for transportation and energy.

A

fossil fuels

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8
Q

What is the definition of fossil fuel?

A

A substance formed from the remains of once-living organisms used by people for energy

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9
Q

How are humans tipping the natural carbon balance?

A

Human activity of extracting and burning fossil fuels has tipped the balance of the carbon cycle.

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10
Q

How does carbon enter the atmosphere?

A
  • decay of dead organisms
  • fires
  • respiration
  • burning of fossil fuels
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11
Q

Carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere is in equilibrium with what?

A

dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean

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12
Q

What are some ways carbon dioxide can interact with the hydrosphere and the biosphere?

A

Some carbon dioxide enters the ocean and becomes incorporated into organisms there. Matter from these organisms can settle on the ocean floor and become rock. Green plants also take in carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

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13
Q

What is the definition of respiration?

A

The process by which organisms obtain energy by taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide

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14
Q

What is the definition of equilibrium?

A

a state of balance between opposing processes

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15
Q

True or False.

Most carbon is stored in rocks and sediment.

A

True

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16
Q

What is the carbon exchange?

A

The trade of carbon between the oceans and the atmosphere.

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17
Q

What do marine plants use carbon for?

A

For photosynthesis and release some back into the atmosphere through respiration

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18
Q

What do marine animals use carbon for?

A

To make calcium carbonate, a component of shells and skeletons.

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19
Q

Where do animals get their carbon?

A

Though vegetation or other animals that eat plants.

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20
Q

When plants and animals die their _______ remain.

A

Carbon

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21
Q

When is carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels into the atmosphere?

A

When the are 🔥burned🔥

22
Q

How is carbon stored in sediment and rock released into the atmosphere?

A

Volcanic eruptions

23
Q

How much carbon is in sediment and sedimentary rock? (Like in weight)

A

Billions of tons

24
Q

True of False.

As carbon moves among Earth’s systems, the total amount of the element remains the same.

A

True

25
Q

How are the plants in Ireland still flourishing in its frigid weather?

A

The answer is a warm-water current, the Gulf Stream. Ireland is about 40ºF warmer than Newfoundland in winter because the Gulf Stream current is near its western coast. Westerly winds passing over the current hit Ireland, allowing some warm-climate plants to flourish.

26
Q

What would happen if climate change disrupted the Gulf Steam, or completely shut it down? How would that affect Ireland’s climate?

A

Without the influence of the Gulf Stream, Ireland’s climate would be colder and more in keeping with average temperatures at its latitude.

27
Q

How much as Earth’s average temperature risen since 1880?

A

11°C (2°F)

28
Q

What do greenhouse gases do to the heat in the atmosphere?

A

They trap heat in the atmosphere.

29
Q

What the definition of a greenhouse gases?

A

Gas in the atmosphere that traps Earth’s heat

30
Q

What does the ocean absorbing heat have to do with carbon dioxide?

A

Carbon dioxide brings more heat into the atmosphere, and greenhouse gases trap the heat inside the atmosphere. The ocean now has more heat to absorb, meaning it is getting hotter, causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt, causing the ocean levels to rise.

What the lesson says:
There has been a rise in sea level due to thermal expansion of the ocean. Land-based glaciers and ice sheets are also melting at an accelerated rate, pouring meltwater into the oceans. The effects of rising sea levels include more coastal flooding and the slow submerging of low-lying islands.

31
Q

The ocean is our friend, it’s always cleaning up the messes of humanity :D

A

Still, the effects of global warming on the planet would be more severe if not for oceans. Their ability to absorb large amounts of heat has kept that heat out of the atmosphere. As a result, an important impact of oceans on climate change has been to limit its harmful effects.

32
Q

How much carbon dioxide caused by human activity does the ocean absorb?

A

One-fourth

33
Q

What is ocean acidification?

A

The excess carbon the ocean is absorbing is changing the chemistry. The ocean is becoming more acidic.

34
Q

What is the growing acidity of the ocean causing?

A

It threatens the survival of some marine species such as corals. They have difficulty making shells in the corals.

35
Q

Free 5 pointer :D

A

Scientists have also discovered that the ocean’s ability to absorb CO2 decreases with rising temperatures. That could lead to much higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and accelerated warming.

36
Q

Wha this the definition of ocean acidification?

A

The increase in acidity of the ocean due to added CO2

37
Q

What is the definition of gyre?

A

a system of rotating ocean currents

38
Q

What do currents do?

A

They help equalize the distribution of Earth’s heat

39
Q

What do warm currents do?

A

Warm currents transfer heat from the hottest areas near the equator to colder zones near the poles.

40
Q

What do cold currents do?

A

Cold currents bring cooler water back near the equator

41
Q

How could changing the course of currents trigger climate change?

A

Recall how westerly winds crossing the warm Gulf Stream moderate climate in Western Europe. Without the influence of the Gulf Stream, Western Europe would be about 5°C (9°F) colder than it is now. Without the cool Canary Current to moderate the influence of the nearby Sahara Desert, the Canary Islands would have a hotter climate.

42
Q

What has increased oceanic surface temperatures caused?

A

Increases in hurricanes activity

43
Q

How does carbonic acid form and oceans?

A

The ocean absorbs about one-quarter of the extra carbon dioxide, but that causes ocean acidification. The CO2 dissolves, bonds with the water, H2O, and creates carbonic acid, H2CO3.

44
Q

How do acidic ocean waters harm marine animals?

A

The acidic ocean waters can hurt marine animals by dissolving calcium carbonate-based shells and exoskeletons.

45
Q

Surface currents and deep-ocean currents work together to distribute Earth’s heat evenly and regulate climate. The system is called the ___________.

A

global conveyor belt

46
Q

What is the definition of global conveyor belt?

A

A system of currents that transfers heat between the poles and equator

47
Q

What could stop the conveyor belt?

A

A warmer ocean could stop the production of the cold, dense water that drives the conveyor belt—with huge impacts on patterns of temperature and precipitation.

48
Q

Just some extra info that will probably be on the test :D

A

There have been times in the past when the warm Gulf Stream and Atlantic Current slowed and didn’t move as much warm water north as part of the cycle. At these times, the northern hemisphere cooled down, and there were stronger North Atlantic storms. As Earth warms and the oceans absorb more heat, understanding the effect these currents have on climate will be increasingly important.

49
Q

Why are oceans important to living things on Earth?

A

Oceans help to regulate climate, and they affect the level of certain gases in the atmosphere such as oxygen and carbon dioxide.

50
Q

How do oceans affect climate change?

A

Oceans have made global warming less pronounced by absorbing large amounts of heat and carbon dioxide that otherwise would go into the atmosphere.

8th: Science Semester 2 (65 decks)

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