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Changes in the Air To assess the impact of human activity on the carbon dioxide level in Earth's atmosphere, it helps to take a long view. One useful data set comes from deep core samples of Antarctic ice. The oldest ice core that has been fully analyzed dates back a bit more than 400,000 years. Air bubbles trapped in the ice provide information about the gas content in Earth's atmosphere at the time the ice formed. Combining ice core data with more recent direct measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide—as in FIGURE 46.20—can help scientists put current changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide into historical perspective.
FIGURE 46.20 Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (in parts per million). Direct measurements began in 1980. Earlier data are based on ice cores.
4. Was the rise in the carbon dioxide level between 1800 and 1975 larger or smaller than the rise between 1980 and 2013?
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- Changes in the Air To assess the impact of human activity on the carbon dioxide level in Earth's atmosphere, it helps to take a long view. One useful data set comes from deep core samples of Antarctic ice. The oldest ice core that has been fully analyzed dates back a bit more than 400,000 years. Air bubbles trapped in the ice provide information about the gas content in Earth's atmosphere at the time the ice formed. Combining ice core data with more recent direct measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxideas in FIGURE 46.20can help scientists put current changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide into historical perspective. FIGURE 46.20 Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (in parts per million). Direct measurements began in 1980. Earlier data are based on ice cores. The industrial revolution occurred around 1800. What was the trend in carbon dioxide level in the 800 years prior to this event? What about in the 175 years after it?arrow_forwardMercury Emissions by Continent By weight, coal does not contain much mercury, but we burn a lot of it. Several industries besides coal-fired power plants contribute substantially to atmospheric mercury pollution. FIGURE 2.13 shows mercury emissions by industry from different regions of the world in 2010. FIGURE 2.13 Global mercury emissions by sector, 2010. Which region emitted the most mercury from burning fossil fuels?arrow_forwardAs light-colored ice and snow in polar regions melt due to warming, the loss of reflectivity leads to more melting and more warming. This is an example of a positive feedback loop the Milankovitch cycle the albedo effect the greenhouse effect Acidificationarrow_forward
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