W + C: Water, Carbon And Life

Question 1

What is the role of water and carbon supporting life?

Answer 1

• 18% of people is carbon
• In trees, carbon is apx.50% of biomass (leaves and woody matter)
• carbon in plants is passed to animals via the food chain - used for energy.
• Through respiration and decomposition, carbon is returned to the atmosphere as CO2
• C in atmosphere is crucial for photosynthesis to create carbohydrates for plant growth
• Carbon is also an important ghg
• All living organisms require water to survive.
• The storage and cycling of both water and carbon enable life to flourish
• Changes in magnitude of the stores can have massive implications for flora and flauna

Question 2

What’s the relationship between the water and carbon cycle?

Answer 2

• atmosphere - carbon absorbs into rain particles, causing acid rain - type of weathering called carbonation. This C is carried by rivers to ocean, where used for shell growth and buried to form new limestone deposits. Excess carbon is transferred back into the atmosphere.
• C is transported in water, rain falls as output from water cycle, CO2 dissolves in rain forming carbonic acid (acid rain) to hydrosphere again.
• When trees photosynthesise, absorb CO2 and sequestrate it into the biomass. process is sped by increased levels of precip and humidity.
• increase in CO2 is warming the atmosphere - increasing temp, so higher evapotranspiration rates and a wetter atmosphere —> a positive feedback situation of further warming.
• When CO2 concentrations rise, air temps go up - oceans then warm and more water vapour evaporates, which then emulsifies GH heating. CO2 controls the temp, therefore the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere and size of the enhanced GH effect.