Carbon Cycling, Photosynthesis/Respiration, and Biomes:
Carbon’s Role in Global Climate Change
C
Global Climate Change Education:
Biology Module
Carbon Cycling
Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change
Major Concepts:
1)
Carbon
- 4th most common element on Earth
- THE building block of life
2)
Carbon cycles among biotic and abiotic reservoirs
- sources and sinks
- different timescales of movement (hours to millions of years)
3)
Atmospheric carbon in the form of CO2
- increasing rapidly
- now at exceptionally high concentrations
- high concentration adds to the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect
- affects global climate
4)
Primary source of increasing atmospheric CO2
- human activity
5)
We can reduce the rate and magnitude of CO2 increase in the
atmosphere and address global climate change.
First a bit about carbon
•
Fourth most common element on
Earth (H, He, O, C)
First a bit about carbon
•
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Carbon’s atomic structure allows it to bind to
up to four other elements at once
This makes carbon very important for living
things
First a bit about carbon
•
Carbon is THE building block of
life
First a bit about carbon
•
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Where is carbon found?
Where does it go?
First a bit about carbon
That is what you will discover in
today’s activity!
Carbon Cycling
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Atmosphere-gases
surrounding our
planet
Biosphere-all the
living things on our
planet
Hydrosphere-all of
the salt and fresh
water on our planet
Lithosphere-all the
rocks and minerals
on our planet
Carbon Cycling
Air (Atmosphere)
Water (Hydrosphere)
Land (Lithosphere)
Organisms (Biosphere)
Source and Sink
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Source-an area where
carbon is easily
removed
Sink-an area where
carbon is not easily
removed and therefore
can build up over time
Source and Sink
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In the carbon cycle atoms
move to and from these
source and sink areas all the
time
Movement can happen at
very different time scalesfrom hours to millions of
years
How can carbon “move”?
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Diffusion
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Sedimentation
Erosion
How can carbon “move”?
•
Diffusion-process
by which
molecules move
from an area of
high concentration
to an area of low
concentration
How can carbon “move”?
•
Photosynthesis-production
of sugar (C6H12O6) from
solar energy, CO2 and
water by plants and other
photosynthetic organisms
How can carbon “move”?
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Respiration-the
metabolism of sugars
(C6H12O6) to produce
chemical energy for
growth and reproduction
One of the major
byproducts is CO2 gas
All living things respire,
both plants and animals
How can carbon “move”?
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Combustion-carbon
locked in living and
dead organic matter
under proper
conditions of heat and
oxygen rapidly oxidize
or burn
This releases energy in
the form of heat and
produces gases such as
carbon monoxide (CO)
and carbon dioxide
(CO2)
How can carbon “move”?
•
Sedimentationslow
accumulation
of material in
one place.
Over long
periods of time
this material
can solidify
and form rock
How carbon can “move”?
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Fossil fuels can be considered a special type of
sedimentation
How can carbon “move”?
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Erosion- the process by
which particles of soil
are washed into water.
This term is also used to
describe the breakdown
of harder materials such
as rock due to the action
of water
Why is carbon cycling important?
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For the last 1000 years
the carbon cycle has
been in balance
In the last 100 years
carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has been
rising
Carbon dioxide
concentrations in the
atmosphere are higher
now than in the last 20
million years
Greenland Ice
core data
Graph by Robert Simmon, based on data from the NOAA Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory
Why is carbon cycling important?
•
•
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For the last 1000 years
the carbon cycle has
been in balance
In the last 100 years
carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has been
rising
Carbon dioxide
concentrations in the
atmosphere are higher
now than in the last 20
million years
Graph by Robert Simmon, based on data from the NOAA Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory
Ice core data
Carbon and global climate change
•CO2 is a greenhouse
gas which help keep the
planet warm
•Too much CO2 may
lead to global warming.
•Why?
Carbon and global climate change
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CO2 is the most
significant greenhouse
gas.
Levels of CO2 are
increasing
Why?
Why more CO2?
•The human
population has
grown
tremendously in
the last 200 years
•All those people
need and use
energy
Why more CO2?
•
In the late 1800’s
(1850-1870) The
industrial
revolution
occurred
Why more CO2?
•Most of that
energy
comes from
fossil
fuels…a
carbon sink
Why more CO2?
•Most of that
energy
comes from
fossil
fuels…a
carbon sink
Other human impacts
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Remember that plants
and other photosynthetic
organisms are important
for removing CO2 from
the atmosphere.
Slash and burn
agriculture and
urbanization are
reducing the amount of
carbon that can be
removed
Human impacts
•
As humans
clear more land
and burn more
fossil fuels we
dramatically
increase the
amount of CO2
going into the
atmosphere
What can we do?
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Some questions remain unanswered about the
carbon cycle.
We do know that humans have produced a
large amount of CO2 and other greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere based many different
types of data
Production of CO2 continues to this date, but
it is something that we can control
Energy Use
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Reduce fossil fuel use
Non-fossil fuel energy sources
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Solar
Wind
Hydroelectric
Hydrogen
Biofuels
Nuclear
Geothermal
Carbon Mitigation
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Carbon sequestration
• Forestry-carbon bound up in forest
products
• Agriculture-no till
• CO2 injection-coal seams and saline
aquifers
• Biochar
Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change
Major Concepts & Summary:
1)
Carbon
- 4th most common element on Earth
- THE building block of life
2)
Carbon cycles among biotic and abiotic reservoirs
- Sources and sinks
 atmosphere
 biosphere
 hydrosphere
 lithosphere
- Different timescales of movement (hours to millions of years)
 diffusion
 photosynthesis
 respiration
 combustion
 sedimentation
 erosion
Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change
Major Concepts & Summary:
3)
Atmospheric carbon in the form of CO2
- increasing rapidly
 100 years
- now at exceptionally high concentrations
 higher than last 20 million years
- high concentration adds to the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect
- affects global climate
4)
Primary source of increasing atmospheric CO2
- human activity
 burning of fossil fuels releases carbon from lithosphere
5)
We can reduce the rate and magnitude of CO2 increase in the
atmosphere and address global climate change.
 reduce fossil fuel use through conservation and efficiency
 use non-fossil fuel energy sources
 carbon sequestration