Water, carbon and climate change Flashcards
Is carbon one of the 6 crucially important elements in humans?
Yes
How is carbon stored in humans, and what is its purpose?
its stored in the form of glucose and it assists cellular respiration
How much carbon (in the form of glucose) makes up a human body?
18%
How much carbon makes up a trees biomass?
50%
How is carbon released back into the atmosphere in animals and plants?
respiration and decomposition
What is the most important link between the water cycle and the carbon cycle?
the ability of water to absorb and transfer carbon dioxide
Does rainwater contain carbon?
yes
What does more carbon in rainwater do?
makes the ph more acidic
What is carbonation?
when acidic rainwater is in contact with carbonate rocks such as limestone and chalk, and converts calcium carbonate into calcium bicarbonate
What happens after carbonation?
rivers carries the dissolved carbon into the oceans where it is used for shell growth and is buried to form new limestone deposits and some is transferred directly back to the atmosphere
What is feedback?
a knock on effect that usually leads to a change in the effectiveness of one or more processes
What is the water cycle feedback loop?
ice reflects radiation from the sun so less heat is absorbed by the surface
but in recent years the arctic ice has been shrinking due to increased temperatures, revealing more water which leads to less reflection and more absorption of heat from the sun
then this repeats
What is the carbon cycle loop relating to vegetation?
higher temperatures have increased the growing season for plants which increases the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere
What is the carbon cycle loop relating to the permafrost?
higher temperatures have started to melt the permafrost, particularly in parts of Serbia, so the organic matter (such as plant roots and animals) trapped in the permafrost (which is an important carbon store) will start to decompose when it reacts with oxygen, this then releases more carbon and methane into the atmosphere, which will then increase the temperature
What is the water and carbon cycle loop?
when Phytoplankton releases DMS which can lead to the formation of clouds over the oceans, therefore when the population of phytoplankton increases with the warmer temperatures and more sun this will then lead to more cloudiness which will reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth from the sun, this will then lead to less phytoplankton which creates a loop of negative feedback
What is the Milankovitch cycles?
The natural changes in the orbit of the earth which is known to influence the amount of sunlight reaching the earth and so affects the temperature
How does the water cycle affect the California wildfires in January 2018?
the ground became dried which then caused a wildfire in December 2017, then due to the ground being charred when there was a high amount of rainfall it couldn’t infiltrate into the soil which caused a mudslide
How many homes destroyed in the 2018 California mudslide?
300
How many deaths was caused from the 2018 California mudslide?
23
How many are missing from the 2018 California mudslide?
17
