water, carbon and life on earth

Question 1

role of water and carbon

Answer 1

• both w+c crucial in supporting life on earth
• in people carbon is stored in glucose and assists respiration
• in trees carbon content of woody matter is approx 50%
• through respiration and decomposition carbon is returned to the atmosphere in the form of co2

Question 2

how do the water and carbon cycles interact in the atmosphere to influence climate

Answer 2

• atmosphere is an important store of both water and carbon
• all living organisms need water to survive
• carbon is essential for plant growth as well as an important greenhouse gas

Question 3

what is an important link between the water and carbon cycle?

Answer 3

is the ability of water to absorb and transfer carbon dioxide

Question 4

water and carbon mostly interact with eachother through rainwater and running water. what else?

Answer 4

1. through el nino
2. tropical rainforests
3. weathering

Question 5

how are water and carbon impacted upon by climate change?

Answer 5

increased co2 is warming the atmosphere this results in higher evaporation rates and a wetter atmosphere

Question 6

what does co2 cause?

Answer 6

co2 causes around 20% of the earths greenhouse effect water vapour accounts for 50% and clouds 25% the rest is called be aerosoles

Question 7

what happens when co2 concentrations rise?

Answer 7

air temperatures rise. the oceans warm up and more vapour evaporates into the atmosphere which amplifies greenhouse heating

Question 8

what controls the temperature?

Answer 8

although co2 contributes less to the overall greenhouse effect than water vapour, scientists have found that it’s the co2 that controls the temp

Question 9

what is there a lag time between?

Answer 9

there is a lag time between increased co2 and increased warming. for example the temp will increase by a further 0.6 because of the co2 in the atmosphere

Question 10

how are the water and carbon cycles impacted upon by climate change.

Answer 10

1. ice reflects radiation from sun so less heat absorbed by surface
2. arctic sea ice is shrinking so less reflection and more absorption
3. this warms water and further melts ice
4. this affects the type and magnitude of water transfers between the land ocean and atmosphere

Question 11

carbon cycle permafrost loop - negative feedback

Answer 11

higher temps have increased growing season for plants which means that more carbon can be absorbed from the atmosphere

Question 12

phytoplankton

Answer 12

organisms which live in water

they release a chemical substance which may produce the formation of condensation and clouds over the ocean

Question 13

marine phytoplankton positive feedback loop

Answer 13

less sunshine - reduction in phytoplankton - reducing cooling effect

Question 14

marine phytoplankton negative feedback loop

Answer 14

warmer temps - increase in phytoplankton - increase in clouds - global cooling

Question 15

political and economic implications of arctic sea ice

Answer 15

no arctic sea ice will affect trading routes, the exploitation of resources and the development of settlements