water, carbon, climate and life on earth

Question 1

how do the water and carbon cycle support life on earth

Answer 1

• all living things contain carbon
• plants are the base of most of all food chains and need water and CO2 to photosynthesis to increase in biomass
• water and carbon are found in the atmosphere are vapour and green house gases. green house gases are necessary to keep the earth at a habitable temperature; natural greenhouse effect

Question 2

how do water and carbon effect each others atmospheric stores

Answer 2

• carbon and water combine in the atmosphere allowing for chemical weathering which removes carbon form the atmosphere
• water is needed for photosynthesis which removes carbon form the atmosphere
• amount of CO2 in the atmosphere affects global temperature which affects the amount of evaporation and therefore precipitation.

Question 3

example of positive feedback in water/carbon cycle and its effects on climate

Answer 3

• temperature rise = increase in plant respiration = increase in atmosphere CO2/water vapour levels = increased greenhouse effect
• this increases global warming which can cause an increase in extreme weather events, cause sea levels to rise, change precipitation patterns, decrease agricultural productivity and damage ecosystems

Question 4

example of negative feedback in water/carbon cycle and its effects on climate

Answer 4

water: temperature rises = evaporation increases = atmosphere water vapour levels increase = increase in amount of clouds= increased cloud cover reflects more of suns energy = temperature falls
carbon: atmosphere CO2 levels increase = increases plant growth = plants remove and store more CO2 = atmosphere CO2 levels decrease
- decreases global warming by returning the balance

Question 5

how can individuals reduce carbon levels

Answer 5

-use cars less
-use fuel efficient cars
Passenger cars account for 60.7% of total CO2 emissions from road transport in Europe.

-energy efficient homes; double glazing, insulation

Question 6

how can regions and nations reduce carbon levels

Answer 6

• reduce reliance on fossil fuels for energy
• increased afforestation and forest restoration
• increase sustainability of developments
• improved public transport
• government investing in carbon capture
• Geo-engineering
• afforestation:
• In Peru 115 acres of trees between 2016-2019
• In Brazil the forest code states they need to keep 50% to 80% of land as forests
• Great Green Wall project across Africa
• Planting seagrass ad mangroves

-carbon capture: carbon sequestration: High Net project in England and Wales- plans to capture 10 million Gtc

Question 7

4 ways we can we globally reduce carbon levels

Answer 7

-countries work together to reduce emissions; Kyoto protocol(1997) and Paris agreement(2015)

• carbon trading scheme
• the EU Emissions Trading System. It regulates a total of 56 CO2-intensive companies from the cement, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, refineries, steel, paper, district heating and other sectors