Environmental Science Mr. Good Carbon Cycle Environmental Science Mr. Good

Carbon Cycle Carbon cycles from volcanoes to the atmosphere, From the atmosphere to plants / animals, Back into the ground to slowly form rock over time

Greenhouse Gases Greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation (heat) Major form of climate control / change

Carbon Cycles

Carbon Cycles

Factors Effecting Atmospheric Carbon Amount of input from volcanoes Amount being deposited on land / in the ocean Storing of carbon on land or in the ocean is called a Sink

Chemical Weathering Chemical weathering – removes CO2 from the air by breaking down (weathering) rocks Rain passing through an atmosphere that is full of CO2 creates carbonic acid Rain + Carbon Dioxide  Carbonic Acid H20 + CO2  H2CO3

Chemical Weathering cont. Carbon Acid (H2CO3) breaks down silicate rocks (CaSiO3) into Ca+2 and Si+4 ions These ions are washed down to the ocean in runoff water… Critters (Plankton / Crustaceans) in the ocean make either Calcium or Silicon shells These critters die… sink to the bottom… and eventually turn into rock

Chemical Weathering cont. cont. Chemical weathering is the MAIN way that CO2 is pulled out of the atmosphere over long time scales Input from volcanoes = deposits from chemical weather… = consistent climate Input from volcanoes = chemical weathering =?

Chemical Weathering Thermostat Global chemical weathering rates change based on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere Higher CO2 = Faster Weathering Lower CO2 = Slower Weathering I see some loops coming…

What type of feedback loop is this?

Weathering Negative Feedback Loop Higher Greenhouse gases(CO2) = Faster weathering= Less CO2 in the atmosphere= Slower weathering= Cooler Earth

On the other hand Lower Greenhouse Gases(CO2)= Slow Chemical Weathering= More CO2 in the atmosphere= Faster weathering= Warmer Earth

In a nutshell Chemical Weathering tries to maintain a consistent climate on Earth