the carbon cycle and global warming Flashcards
(26 cards)
what is carbon essential for
life and climate regulation
is the amount of carbon fixed
yes, it cycles between the earth and the atmosphere
how is carbon released into the atmosphere
cellular respiration, fossil fuel emissions, decomposition, deforestation and fire and volcanos
how is carbon removed from the atmosphere
through photosynthesis
define carbon sinks
systems that absorb more carbon than they release, helping to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it long term
what are some examples of carbon sinks
forests, oceans, fossil fuels, rocks, organic matter in soil
what are the threats to carbon sinks
deforestation, ocean warming and soil degradation
how does burning fossil fuel impact the carbon cycle
when carbon rich fuels such as coal, oil and natural gasses are burned for energy, carbon is released as CO2 rapidly into the atmosphere
how does deforestation and land-use change impact the carbon cycle
trees and plants act as carbon sinks absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis, cutting down forests reduces the absorption of carbon
how does agriculture and livestock impact the carbon cycle
livestock digestion and manure management release methane and nitrous oxide and tilling soil and converting forest to farmland releases the carbon from the soil
what are green house gases
gases in the atmosphere that trap heat from the sun, keeping earth warm enough to support life such as CO2, water vapour, nitrous oxide and ozone
what is the natural greenhouse effect
a natural phenomena that is critical for life on earth
what are the steps to the natural greenhouse effect
- sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere 2. earth radiates heat back toward space 3. greenhouse gasses absorb and trap some of this heat
what is the enhanced greenhouse effect
human activities increasing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
what are the steps of enhanced greenhouse effect
increase causes less sunlight/heat energy to be radiated back to space, the large portion of heat is trapped with in the atmosphere and then is absorbed by land and oceans warming the planet
how have the percentages of greenhouse gases increased in the atmosphere
burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, farming of livestock and landfill and waste treatment
over the last 100 years how much has the average global temperature increased
by 0.8 degrees celsius
define global warming
the increase in the average surface temperature of the earth caused by the greenhouse effect
define climate change
the changes in long-term weather patterns that may result in increases or decreases in precipitation and temperature
define ocean acidification
the process by which the ocean becomes more acidic due to absorption of excess CO2 from the atmosphere
what are the steps to ocean acidification
- human activities release large amounts of CO2 , 2. about 25-30% is absorbed by the ocean, 3. CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, 4. this dissociates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate and 5. the increase of these ions lowers the pH of seawater
how does melting ice indicate that earths average temperature is rising
oceans absorb 90% of the solar energy from the sun, the warmer the ocean gets the harder it is to absorb heat energy, warmer water causes the ice to melt and this water absorbs more solar energy
how does melting permafrost indicate that earths average temperature is rising
permafrost is permanently frozen ground that stores carbon, it is predicted that 2/3 of it will be melted by 2200 and therefore will release vast amounts of carbon
how does rising sea levels indicate that earths average temperature is rising
over the last 100 hundred years the sea levels have risen as a result of enhanced global warming
