Topic 4.3 and 4.4 Carbon Cycling and Climate Change

Levels of Organization Carbon Nucleotides DNA Nucleus Cell Tissue Organ Organism Species Population Community Ecosystems Carbon, DNA, Cell, Organ, Species, Community Nucleotides, Nucleus, Tissue, Organism, Population, Ecosystem

The most important element to life on earth is: Carbon Where, on earth, is carbon found? proteins carbohydrates lipids nucleic acids carbon dioxide in air and water fossil fuels limestone volcanic gases

How is carbon cycled?

Review Photosynthesis Light-dependent reactions Light-independent reactions

Review Respiration

C in aquatic ecosystems CO 2 + H 2 O  H 2 CO 3 H 2 CO 3  H + + HCO 3 - Carbonic acid H ions influence the pH

Producers absorb CO2 Consumers release CO2 Decomposers?

What happens when a whale dies? Other organisms consume quickly (hagfishes, sleeper sharks) Decomposers (bacteria)

Methane Gas in Carbon Cycle Methanogenic archaens

Fossil Fuels Peat: waterlogged soil Peat is spongy, high levels of water (high acidity) create a force Anaerobic Respiration

More Fossil Fuels Peat  coal Lithification: molecules compacted and rearranged into long chains Petroleum Products ex: crude oil, natural gas

CO 2 is produced by combustion of biomass and fossilized organic matter Animals such as reef-building corals and mollusks have hard parts composed of calcium carbonate and can be fossilized in limestone

Carbon cycles throughout the ecosystems on earth - take notes Over the past 100 years, CO 2 levels in the atmosphere have increases 25%.

Climate Change

The Greenhouse effect Our earth and atmosphere act like a green house: 1. Sunlight enters the atmosphere because it’s gases are transparent to light. 2. Most of the light is reflected back into space. 3. Some light is absorbed by the soil, water and plants on earth. 4. The wavelengths of this light lengthen, becoming heat. 5. These wavelengths are trapped in the atmosphere making earth’s atmosphere warmer than space.

Gases that are responsible for the natural greenhouse affect are: **water vapor** methane **carbon dioxide** nitrous oxide ozone CFC’c (chloroflourocarbons)

The impact of a gas depends on its ability to absorb longer wavelength radiation (heat) and the concentration of that gas in the atmosphere

For example. Methane has a greater potential to warm the planet but has short lifespan: a. cattle ranching b. landfills c. production and distribution of natural gas (leaks)

Greenhouse gases produced by human activity which retain heat the most are: Carbon Dioxide: a. burning fossil fuels (coal, oil) b. deforestation (farmland, cooking and heating)

Less concentration, thus less concern Oxides of nitrogen: a. burning fossil fuels with catalytic converters b. fertilizers c. industrial production of nitric acid (used for wood and metal working and explosives)

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Temperature vs. Climate

Industrial Revolution What is the general trend? Level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by more than 35%

Recent increase in CO2

Threats to coral reefs Death of coral reefs: bleaching Interrupts ecosystem Many organisms live in corals for food and shelter

Correlations between global temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations on Earth Polar Bears com/watch?v=yzD7z zsRw_k

Count off by 4, get in groups Refute the claims made by those who disagree with global warming

Evaluating claims that human activities are not causing climate change Climate change is a theory, not a fact Evidence: temperature increase, extreme weather events, record temperatures, receding glaciers

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Often, those scientists are not climatologists and quoting out-of- date or refuted data. In other instances, scientists only disagree on the quantity of change Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Often, those scientists are not climatologists and quoting out-of- date or refuted data. In other instances, scientists only disagree on the quantity of change Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Climatology is complex, aerosols diffuse sunlight causing lower temperatures; these are cancelling out some of the predicted warning Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Often, those scientists are not climatologists and quoting out-of- date or refuted data. In other instances, scientists only disagree on the quantity of change Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Climatology is complex, aerosols diffuse sunlight causing lower temperatures; these are cancelling out some of the predicted warning Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Warming and cooling happens over thousands or millions of years; the changes we see now are happening on a scale of decades Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Often, those scientists are not climatologists and quoting out-of- date or refuted data. In other instances, scientists only disagree on the quantity of change Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Climatology is complex, aerosols diffuse sunlight causing lower temperatures; these are cancelling out some of the predicted warning Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Warming and cooling happens over thousands or millions of years; the changes we see now are happening on a scale of decades Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect Cost of fixing these new problems is difficult, more economic burdens caused by extreme weather events, droughts, flooding, melt water

Challenge from criticsPossible responses from climatologists Climate change is a theory, not a factEvidence: temperature increase, extreme weather events, record temperatures, receding glaciers Many scientists disagree and have published research showing that climate change is not due to human activity Often, those scientists are not climatologists and quoting out-of- date or refuted data. In other instances, scientists only disagree on the quantity of change Models predict higher temperature increases, but that is not happening. Fossil fuels increasing, so why aren’t temperatures increasing equally fast? Climatology is complex, aerosols diffuse sunlight causing lower temperatures; these are cancelling out some of the predicted warning Huge fluctuations in climate in the past, and the current changes that we are seeing in recent decades are natural. Warming and cooling happens over thousands or millions of years; the changes we see now are happening on a scale of decades Reducing CO2 will have a severe negative economic effect Cost of fixing these new problems is difficult, more economic burdens caused by extreme weather events, droughts, flooding, melt water

End.