The effect of human activities on short term bio processes and long term geo processes Flashcards
(20 cards)
Is most of the earth’s carbon in geological stores or biological stores?
Most of the world’s carbon is in geological stores such as sedimentary carbon rocks
How much carbon moves through the slow carbon cycle?
10-100 million metric tonnes
How much carbon moves through the fast carbon cycle?
1,000-100,000 million metric tonnes
Do scientists believe that human activities are having more effect on the short term bio processes or the long term geo processes?
Short term biological processes
What human activity has the largest effect on short term bio cycles
deforestation
What happens when ocean temperatures rise?
ocean acidification occurs
How do changes in ocean temperature and acidification affect the carbonate pump?
Decreases the amount of carbonate ions in the water makes conditions more difficult for phytoplankton and corals and shellfish
What percentage of carbon is above ground?
Only 1%, the rest is contained within the crust, mantle and core
what is the main geological process?
out-gassing of CO2 via volcanoes and through other geological processes such as heating of limestone
Carbon emissions are up to ___ times greater than all volcanic emissions
100
How many tonnes have been released into the atmosphere since 1850?
2500 billion tonnes, this has a great impact on the longer term geological processes
What is thought to be responsible for increases in volcanic outgassing?
human activity, increased seasonal rainfall caused by climate change increases eruptions
What is another key geological process?
weathering as calcium ions are released from silicate rocks and are washed into oceans
How does global warming increase the rate of weathering?
because it increases the rate of reaction (between calcium ions and bicarbonate ions) and increases percipitation levels
What reaction does global warming increase in weathering?
ions such as calcium are released from silicate rocks and are washed to the oceans where they reacts with bicarbonate ions to create calcium carbonate.
What have studies suggested about an increase of 7C
it would double the rate of chemical weathering
Recent studies sugest that the importance of weathering as a longer term geological process may be less important than…
the amount of land being exposed above sea level and topography of the Earth’s surface
What short term biological processes are affected by human activity?
-desertification in soils
-ocean acidification
-reducing productivity of phytoplankton
-decrease in amount of carbonate ions in ocean
What geological processes are affected?
weathering and volcanic outgassing
What human activities affect both bio and geological processes?
Deforestation, afforestation and conversion of grassland to farmland.
