water and carbon statistics Flashcards
what percentage of primary energy consumption does the world rely on fossil fuels for
the world relies of fossil fuels for 87% of its primary energy consumption
how many tonnes of carbon are transferred to the atmosphere every year by the burning of fossil fuels
8 billion tonnes of carbon are transferred to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels every year
how many tonnes of carbon does deforestation transfer to the atmosphere annually
deforestation transfers approximately 1 billion tonnes of carbon from the vegetation store to the atmosphere every year
how many tonnes of carbon are stored by oceans every year
2.5 billion tonnes of carbon are stored by oceans annually
how much carbon does the amazon rainforest store
76 billion tonnes
give an example of where human activity is influencing the water cycle through acquifers
over pumping on the Bangladeshi coasts is resulting in insertions of salt water in fresh water aquifers, making the water unfit for consumption and irrigation
how much of the terrestrial carbon pool do wetlands contain
35%
how much of earths’ surface are occupied by wetlands
6-9%
how much of earths’ surface are occupied by wetlands
6-9%
how much of earths’ surface are occupied by wetlands
6-9%
how much of its wetlands have canada’s prairie provinces lost since the 20th century
70%
how much of its wetlands have canada’s prairie provinces lost since the 20th century
70%
how much of its wetlands have the Us contiguous states lost since 1600
half
what is an international organisation working on wetland restoration
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
what is the UNs afforestation scheme
the UNs Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation scheme
what is China’s afforestation scheme
scheme began in 1978, aims to plant 400,000km2 of trees by 2050, using mainly fast growing species such as birch
what are three forms of unsustainable agriculture
over cultivation, over grazing, excessive intensification
what are three types of sustainable agriculture
land and crop management (crop residue, polyculture, zero tillage)
manure management
livestock management
what did the paris agreement aim to do
reduce CO2 emissions below 60% of 2010 levels and avoid global warming over 1.5 degrees
when was the kyoto protocol
1997
which two rich countries refused to ratify the kyoto protocol agreements
australia and the usa
what are the two types of credits awarded in cap and trade
carbon credits
carbon offsets
at what scale are carbon and water cycles closed systems
global scale
at what scale are carbon and water cycles open systems
local scales- eg the rainforest ecosystem
what percentage of water on the planet does oceans contain
oceans contain 97% of all water on planet earth
what is high intensity precipitation
10-15mm per hour
what percentage of moisture in the atmosphere is transpiration responsible for
transpiration is responsible for 10% of moisture in the atmosphere
what are the three types of clouds formed by condensation
cumuliform, stratiform and wispy cirrus clouds
what are the three types of lapse rates
environmental lapse rates, dry adiabatic lapse rates, saturated adiabatic lapse rates
how much carbon is transferred from the atmosphere to plants and phytoplankton by photosynthesis every year
120 gigatonnes a year
which ecosystem requires natural combustion
the coniferous forests in the rocky mountains
what is a region of downwelling in the ocean for the physical pump
the north atlantic between greenland and iceland
how much carbon is drawn into oceans by the biological pump every year
50 gigatonnes
what are four management strategies used for oil extraction in the arctic tundra
elevated pipelines and buildings
lateral drilling
remote prospecting
gravel pads
how much carbon does fossil fuel consumption release into the atmosphere globally
10 billion tonnes
what percentage of world primary energy is supplied by nuclear and renewable sources
nuclear= 4% renewables = 2.5%
give a fact that demonstrates how atmospheric co2 levels are higher than ever before in modern history
today, atmospheric CO2 levels are at the highest in 800,000 years
what is a solution to the CO2 emissions from fossil fuels that doesn’t involve halting the combustion of fossil fuels
Carbon Capture and Storage- capturing Co2 released by the burning of fossil fuels and storing it, rather than allowing it to be released into the atmosphere
how could carbon capture and storage help US carbon emissions
40% of all emissions in the US are from coal and gas, CCS has the potential to reduce these emissions by 80%
give a CCS project that failed
the Drax project in North Yorkshire, designed to capture 2 million tonnes of carbon a year was axed in 2016
how much precipitation may be lost to evapotranspiration in dry areas of the UK during summer
in the driest parts of the UK, 80% of precipitation may be lost to evapotranspiration during summer months
how much precipitation may be lost to evapotranspiration in dry areas of the UK during summer
in the driest parts of the UK, 80% of precipitation may be lost to evapotranspiration during summer months
by how much do atmospheric levels of CO2 fall during summer months in the northern hemisphere
2ppm
how much lower were average temperatures in the last glacial than today
during the last glacial period, 20,000 years ago, average temperatures were 5 degrees lower than today
what were global average temperatures like 250 million years ago
22 degrees- 7-8 degrees higher than today
how much does the sea level fall by during glacial periods
100-130cm
how much do atmospheric carbon levels fall to during glacial maximi compared to during inter glacials
180ppm, whereas during warmer interglacials they are 110ppm higher
how much ahs plant cover been reduced in historical times due to deforestation
deforestation has caused a reduction in global plant cover by around 50% in historical times
how much CO2 from burning fossil fuels does phytoplankton absorb
50%
