Lab 5 Climate
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Georgia State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
1112
Subject
Geography
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by UltraTroutMaster1168
Lab 5
Q1: Identify two sources of carbon in the picture. Identify two sinks. Sources of carbon are plant and microbial respiration. Two sinks are soil carbon and plant biomass.
Q2:
Where did the 9 pentagrams of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities in 2010 end up going? Into the atmosphere, ocean, and absorb by plants.
Q3: From where is the wheatgrass getting the carbon that is enabling it to grow? Wheatgrass is getting carbon from the process of photosynthesis. Q4: People have concerns about the use of slash and burn
partly because it affects the carbon cycle in multiple ways. What are
two
of those ways?
Think about the process of slashing and burning and the change it makes to the landscape. Takes away a carbon source and releases it back into the atmosphere. Q5:
How did the amount of carbon absorbed by the hydrosphere compare to the amount carbon released by the hydrosphere in 2010? The oceans absorb 92 pentagrams and release 19.
Q6: Which form of fossil fuel contributed the most to carbon dioxide production? Coal contributes the most to carbon dioxide production.
Q7:
In the Plant Bowen picture, the cooling towers are highlighted.
Many people incorrectly link the presence of cooling towers to the
presence of nuclear power plants, but all large-scale power plants have them. What is it that is coming out of the cooling towers? (Hint: This has an important relationship to the matter cycle you considered in the Troposphere lab.) Steam coming from the cooling tower. Q8: What do you think would be the effect on life on this planet if the kind of net
release of carbon described above for 2010 were to continue for the next 50 years? The earth’s surface will increase. Q9: How does the trend in fossil-fuel emissions differ from the trend in land-use
change emissions?
Fossil fuel emission increased, and land use remained the same. Q10: For the source that had the largest increase over the period (1959-2014), what do you
think was responsible for that increase?
Fossil fuel had the largest increase because of industrialization, and the electricity demand. Q11:
From what regions/countries was most of the carbon
emitted
in 1950? Europe and the eastern part of the USA emitted the most of carbon in 1950.
Q12: What countries were the top two emitters in 2014?
These two countries remained the largest emitters in 2020. China and the United States.
Q13: What has been the general trend in the amount of carbon taken up by the
atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial biosphere over the last 50+ years?
Do not focus on specific years. You want to see generally how the values changed from 1959 to 2014. It increases. Q14: How did carbon uptake during 2005-2014 differ from carbon
uptake during
1959-1968? Where has more and more of the carbon been going? The amount of uptake of carbon doubled in 2005-2014, compared
to 1959-1968. Carbon is going into the atmosphere. Q15: Based on the differences in
CO
2
concentrations between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere and changes in CO
2
concentrations throughout the year, would you classify CO
2
as a
well-mixed gas
or
poorly-mixed gas
?
Look at the range in concentrations, 371 ppm to 414 ppm, across the globe over an entire year. One of the terms in bold above makes an appearance again in Lab 9.
The carbon dioxide seems to fall in the same concentration, and it
is a well-mixed gas. Q16: Why didn’t CO
2
emissions decrease from 1970 to 2010 like SO
2
and NO
x
emissions did? Carbon dioxide is not regulated by the cleaner act.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Q17: Identify one place across the globe where there is a (1) tropical forest, (2) temperate forest, and (3) boreal forest?
1. Tropical forest: Brazil
2. Temperate forest: United States
3. Boreal forest: Canada
Q18: Which of the three forests do you think is the largest carbon sink and why?
Tropical Forest because it has the largest NPP.
Q19: Which forests have large positive values of NPP during each month (i.e., what forests have a green color year-round)? Tropical Rainforest Q20: Why do these forests have little seasonal differences in NPP?
Direct sunlight and constant photosynthesis. Q21: Which of the three forests do you think is the largest carbon sink and why?
The Tropical Forest because it has the largest NPP.
Q22: Which of the three forests appears to be the largest carbon sink, especially for the 1990-1999 period?
Tropical Rainforest
Q23: Why do you think it is likely the carbon uptake in tropical forest areas decreased from 1990-1999 to 2000-2007? Hint: Think
about what you learned earlier that involved Brazil. Deforestation.
Q24:
What other effects do you think anthropogenic
CO
2
emissions are having on marine organisms besides the impact on calcifiers described above? Coral bleaching is another impact. Q25:
What effect did the increased absorption of CO
2
by the oceans have on the pH? Did the pH level ever get to the point where the ocean water was acidic? PH levels did not reach the point where water was acidic. PH levels are decreasing.
Decreased CO2 uptake by the oceans has caused coral bleaching, and increased CO2 uptake by the terrestrial biosphere has caused increased algal growth.