THE CARBON CYCLE & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Influential Greenhouse Gases: For each of the following, list WHAT they are, WHERE they are found and HOW they affect climate
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A colorless, odorless gas found when organic matter is burned with the presence of oxygen. It affects the climate by warming the earth.
Methane (CH4): A non-toxic, colorless, odorless gas. It is found in wetlands, swamps and marshes, termites, and oceans. It affects the climate by raising the temperature of the earth.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O): colorless, non-flammable gas. Nitrous oxide is naturally produced in the oceans and in rainforest. It warms up the earth.
Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6): an extremely potent greenhouse gas. It comes electric power plants.
Draw a diagram and label to EXPLAIN the greenhouse effect:
The gases in the atmosphere allow solar radiation to reach the surface of the Earth, but they absorb the energy and re-emitted as infrared radiation, acting to contain the heat in the atmosphere
Influential Greenhouse Gases: For each of the following, list WHAT they are, WHERE they are found and HOW they affect climate
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A colorless, odorless gas found when organic matter is burned with the presence of oxygen. It affects the climate by warming the earth.
Methane (CH4): A non-toxic, colorless, odorless gas. It is found in wetlands, swamps and marshes, termites, and oceans. It affects the climate by raising the temperature of the earth.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O): colorless, non-flammable gas. Nitrous oxide is naturally produced in the oceans and in rainforest. It warms up the earth.
Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6): an extremely potent greenhouse gas. It comes electric power plants.
Draw a diagram and label to EXPLAIN the greenhouse effect:
The gases in the atmosphere allow solar radiation to reach the surface of the Earth, but they absorb the energy and re-emitted as infrared radiation, acting to contain the heat in the atmosphere
Explain how the Carbon Cycle is involved in global climate change:
Carbon is passed on through sea, land and air (natural reservoirs). When these carbons pass through different natural reservoirs, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Being a greenhouse gas, it warms up the global climate.
What are Carbon SOURCES and SINKS?
Carbon sources are processes which release CO2 into the atmosphere.
Carbon sinks are processes which remove CO2 from the atmosphere are called sinks
How does deforestation increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere? Explain.
Deforestation destroys thousands of trees in an area. Without the trees, there would be nothing to take in the CO2 for photosynthesis. This would mean an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere.
How do the oceans absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere and how does this affect the oceans?
Oceans have a high solubility of carbon dioxide in water, so the ocean can store large amounts of CO2. This affects oceans by increasing the ocean sink, acidifying the water (carbonic acid) and warming up the ocean.
Explain how the industrial revolution has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The industrial revolution spurred coal burning, steel making, mass production and technical advancements. High demand for product at that time meant that more production had to be made. More production led to more burning of fossil fuels, increasing production of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As of 2009, atmospheric CO2 levels increased 38% since the preindustrial age.
According to the graph, which country is the biggest contributor to global carbon emissions worldwide?
According to the graph, China is the biggest contributor to global carbon emissions worldwide. The line for the United States was at the same point as China's, but China's line looked like it was going up and the United States line stayed almost constant.
Carbon is passed on through sea, land and air (natural reservoirs). When these carbons pass through different natural reservoirs, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Being a greenhouse gas, it warms up the global climate.
What are Carbon SOURCES and SINKS?
Carbon sources are processes which release CO2 into the atmosphere.
Carbon sinks are processes which remove CO2 from the atmosphere are called sinks
How does deforestation increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere? Explain.
Deforestation destroys thousands of trees in an area. Without the trees, there would be nothing to take in the CO2 for photosynthesis. This would mean an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere.
How do the oceans absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere and how does this affect the oceans?
Oceans have a high solubility of carbon dioxide in water, so the ocean can store large amounts of CO2. This affects oceans by increasing the ocean sink, acidifying the water (carbonic acid) and warming up the ocean.
Explain how the industrial revolution has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The industrial revolution spurred coal burning, steel making, mass production and technical advancements. High demand for product at that time meant that more production had to be made. More production led to more burning of fossil fuels, increasing production of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As of 2009, atmospheric CO2 levels increased 38% since the preindustrial age.
According to the graph, which country is the biggest contributor to global carbon emissions worldwide?
According to the graph, China is the biggest contributor to global carbon emissions worldwide. The line for the United States was at the same point as China's, but China's line looked like it was going up and the United States line stayed almost constant.