Lecture 39 - Life in the Anthropocene

Question 1

human population increased ____ fold

Answer 1

4

Question 2

economic output has increased ___ fold

Answer 2

20

Question 3

energy uses has increased ___ fold

Answer 3

16

Question 4

What is a direct effect of the increase in energy use? (2)

Answer 4

• atmospheric CO2 hit 400 ppm

- earth will warm anywhere between 1.4-6 degrees celsius in the next 100 years

Question 5

What are 5 reasons humans have been so successful?

Answer 5

1. science
2. technology
3. ingenuity
4. hard work
5. good luck

Question 6

What is some historical and scientific evidence we won’t be able to handle dramatic temp changes?

Answer 6

Little Ice Age

Question 7

What was the Little Ice Age

Answer 7

• increase in severity of winters + advance of glaciers etc.
• worldwide human populations declined due to famine, disease + freezing

Question 8

What are 4 major events that are occurring that indicate climate change?

Answer 8

1. West Antarctic ice sheet irreversibly melting
2. Greenland’s ice cap melting
3. Oceans becoming more acidic
4. Ocean circulation system shutting down

Question 9

What technologies have increased our oil + natural gas reserves by 2-10 times?

Answer 9

• fracking

- tar sand mining

Question 10

What are 2 ideas to increase CO2 uptake and storage in the earth?

Answer 10

1. reforestation (not going to happen)

2. increasing phytoplankton blooms

Question 11

What would be the effect of phytoplankton blooms?

Answer 11

put CO2 into deep reserves of the ocean (increase by limiting increasing limiting nutrients for phytoplankton blooms)

Question 12

What is John Martin’s Iron Limitation Theory?

Answer 12

-iron is limiting nutrient that prevents phytoplankton from growing and using up nutrients in high nutrient low chlorophyll areas

Question 13

What is the Mesoscale Open Ocean Iron Rich Experiments?

Answer 13

• add iron sulfate to area of acidified ocean area
• use SF6 to determine
• high level of diatoms in this area, more photosynthetic action

Question 14

3 pros of commercial fertilization

Answer 14

1. mimics natural iron inputs
2. already changing biogeochemistry of ocean
3. cheaper + safer than other options to reduce CO2

Question 15

5 cons of commercial fertilzation

Answer 15

1. wont work
2. most CO2 is respired out
3. could wreck ecosystems
4. UN resolutions making illegal
5. didn’t stop George Dvorsky from doing it illegally