Water + Carbon

Question 1

Give some roles in carbon supporting life

Answer 1

Assists respiration + photosynthesis

Provides much-needed energy in the food chains

Absorbs long=wave radiation, providing sufficient atmospheric warmth for life to survive

Question 2

Give some roles of water supporting life

Answer 2

All living organism needs water to survive

Need for drinking and irrigation

Source of power + energy

Question 3

Give 3 links between carbon and water cycles

Answer 3

Carbon in rainwater (acid rain)

Weathering

CO2 and water released from trees, industry, deforestation and respiration

Question 4

Give the cycle between carbon and water in the context of carbon weathering

Answer 4

CO2 in rainwater

Weathering + erosion

Surface run-off

CO2 released and water evaporated

Question 5

Give two negative feedback cycles of carbon and global warming

Answer 5

1) Warmer climates = tree roots grow faster, aided by the decomposition of leaf litter
2) Decomposers more effective on warm, damp conditions
3) Enables acidic water to react woth carbonates, increasing rate of weathering
4) By sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere to facilitate weathering, there is a lowering of global temperatures
1) warmer temperatures
2) More cloud
3) Less sun absorption
4) global cooling (however could also mean less phytoplankton so incereased warming)

Question 6

Some suggest that the Earth’s systems can be characterised by long periods of virtual…………..(equilibrium) punctured by episodes of…….development

(Tipping Points)

Answer 6

Standstill

Rapid

Question 7

What is a resilient system

Answer 7

Any movement from the equilibrium position is quickly reversed by negative feedback

Question 8

What is a metastable system

Answer 8

Small movements from the stable position will easily reverse but a larger movent may move the system beyond a threshold point to a new, but very different stable state

Question 9

What is the evidence that the tipping point has already been passed in relation to the climate system

Answer 9

2007 - Arctic sea ice was 23% smaller than any other at the time

Also, Greenland snow was melting for a month longer than usual

Difficult to determine though as there is still contradictory evidence to suggest the tipping point is still a long way off

Question 10

Give 4 human interventions in the carbon cycle

Answer 10

Carbon captue/storage

Carbon farming

Modifying deforestation

Political initiatives: COP21

Question 11

What is carbon capture/storage and what are the pros and cons

Answer 11

Power stations capture co2

Pumped into the geographical reservoir, either to become a liquid or a store

PROS

• CO2 output can be cut by 90%
• Can be used to extract more il out of the ground

CONS

• Expensive
• More oil = more CO2

Question 12

What is carbon farming and what are the pros and cons

Answer 12

One type of crop is replaced by another which has higher productivity at absorbing CO2

PROS

• More productive
• Natural
• Cheap

CONS

• Decrease biodiversity
• Destroys habitats
• Takes time for new trees to grow

Question 13

What is modifying deforestation and what are the pros and cons

Answer 13

Consumers are advised to only buy wood certified by the FSC - timber products that have been grown sustainably

Countries, organisations and individuals make carbon offset payments to offset their carbon emissions

PROS

• Raises awareness
• Protects rainforests

CONS
- Not always economically viable

Question 14

What are political initiatives and what are the pros and cons

Answer 14

December 2015 - COP21 = first legaly binding deal

PROS

• Introduces more ambitious plans every time they meet
• Limit to 1.5ºC warmer than pre-industrial levels

CONS

• Only meet every 5 years
• Not all countries are subject to the agreement

Question 15

Every year wildfires burn ……million sq km of forests

Answer 15

3-4

Question 16

What is the carbon budget

Answer 16

The surplus or deficit of carbon once carbon output is subtracted from the input

A way of using data to describe the amount of carbon that is stored + transferred within the carbon cycle

Question 17

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 17

The impact of people increasing the greenhouse effect by human activities, most notably by the use of fossil fuels and deforestation

Question 18

Give (First part) an answer to the question ‘annalyse the relationship between water and the carbon cycle on land

Answer 18

Biotic material on the land requires the water cycle to provide a moist environment for both growth and decomposition. The decay of material is very slow without moisture as it depends on the bacterial organism to break down plant structures

Carbon process such as respiration, photosynthesis and decay all take place in the presence of water

Plant growth through photosynthesis, for example, removes carbon from the atmosphere by exchanging it with water. Without water, plants cannot absorb the carbon needed to grow

Question 19

Give the second part (how do the tow cycles interact and become dependent on each other)

Answer 19

If carbon cycle process such as photosynthesis and decay stopped, the water cycle would still continue, though its balance might be changed, particularly at regional and local scales as micro-climates are changed by reduced transpiration

However, if the water stopped evaporating from the oceans resulting in no precipitation, the terrestrial carbon cycle on land would not be able to function: surface biomass would expire

Question 20

How does logging ffectt eh carbon cycle in rainforests

Answer 20

Reduces amount of carbon stored by 50%

Trees and stumps allow decomposers to thrive

Question 21

How does logging include the water cycle at a local scale

Answer 21

Less rain intercepted, falls directly onto floor, washing away organic soil (erosion)

Chanel’s get silted up by increase in deposition (flooding)