Water and Carbon Cycle Flashcards
Carbon emissions from volcanic eruptions
180 million GtC
Carbon emissions from anthropogenic sources
3 billion GtC
Which gas does rice production and cattle ranching release?
Methane
Biosphere carbon store
560 GtC
Lithosphere carbon store
100,000 GtC
Atmosphere carbon storage
750 GtC
Soil carbon storage (pedosphere)
1500 GtC
(Permafrost, peat)
Fossil fuels carbon store
4000GtC
Decreases over time as we burn fossil fuels
Oceans carbon storage
38,000 GtC
What percentage of anthropogenic carbon release comes from combustion of fossil fuels?
90%
What absorbs anthropogenic CO2 released?
24% absorbed by oceans
26% taken in by plants
Global CO2 emissions
320ppm, 1960
400ppm at present
Humans release how much carbon?
4 GtC per year
For every 1°C of warming
Air holds 7% more water
Cloud formation
1) water vapour + aerosols present in atmosphere
2) air saturated with water
3) air rises, so it cool, reducing the ability to hold water vapour
4) droplets require particles to condense (condensation nuclei, eg dust)
5) more water droplets form and stick together to form clouds
6) drops,re group and grow heavy, gravity pulls them down as precipitation
How many more times more powerful is methane than CO2 as a GHG
80
% of sunlight reflected back to space currently
30%
What % of fresh water is accessible surface water
1%
What percentage of the atmosphere is water vapour?
0.4%
How many countries signed the Paris agreement 2015
196
What fraction of anthropogenic CO2 is is absorbed by the oceans
1/4
% increase in ocean acidity
30%
How many times more carbon stored in hydrosphere than atmosphere
50
% of all biomass which is carbon
50%
% increase in atmospheric carbon in the last 60 years
36%
% of carbon stored in lithosphere
99.9%
% of annual global CO2 emissions due to wildfires
5-10%
Cooler water absorbs
More CO2
How long does CO2 remain in atmosphere for
300-1000 years
How long does methane remain in the atmosphere for
10 years
More reactive than CO2 and breaks down more quickly
How much is atmospheric CO2 rising per year
2 ppm/year
What percentage of Earths surface is covered by oceans
72%
How much more water can warm air hold?
7% for each 1°C increase
Primary forest carbon productivity
Over 200 tonnes Carbon per hectare
Palm oil plantation Carbon productivity
30 tonnes of Carbon per hectare
What can palm oil be found in
Crisps, margarine, cakes
Storage of water
Hydrosphere: 96.5%
Cryosphere: 1.7%
Lithosphere: 1.7%
Atmosphere: 0.001%
