Climate and Global Change Notes 29-1 Climate & Global Change The Earth’s Carbon Cycle Carbon Budget Carbon Change Rain Forest Biodiversity Human Activities Burning Cycles Natural Changes Desertification Sahel Deforestation Science Concepts Feedbacks Photosynthesis The Earth System (Kump, Kastin & Crane) Chap. 8 (pp )

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-2 The Carbon Cycle Carbon Budget Intermediate and Deep Waters /year Biota 3 Surface Ocean /year Rivers 0.8 Land Biota 550 Atmosphere /year Fossil Fuel 2 Deforestation 92 Sedimentation Soil and Detritus

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-3 The Carbon Cycle Ocean Carbon Budget

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-4 The Carbon Cycle Carbon Change The largest human contribution to climate change Human activity adds CO 2 to the atmosphere -Fossil fuels -biomass burning -cement production Carbon dioxide naturally cycles among the land, atmosphere and oceans Knowledge of the carbon cycle is essential to forecasting human influences on climate climate/images/carboncycle_jpg_image.html

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-5 The Carbon Cycle Net Primary Productivity Amount of carbon consumed by plants (both on land and in the ocean) per square kilometer, called net primary productivity, in 2002 Note: Rain- forest areas are regions of high carbon consumptions Study/LBA/escape.html

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-6 The Carbon Cycle Rainforests Where are they? Area of Closed CountryForest in 1985 (Hectares) Brazil357,480,000 Indonesia113,895,000 Zaire105,750,000 Peru69,680,000 India51,841,000 Colombia46,400,000 Mexico46,250,000 Bolivia44,010,000 Papua New Guinea34,230,000 Burma31,941,000 Venezuela31,870,000 Congo21,340,000 Malaysia20,995,000 Gabon20,500,000 Guyana18,475,000 Cameroon17,920,000 Suriname14,830,000 Ecuador14,250,000 Madagascar10,300,000

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-7 The Carbon Cycle Rainforests (Con’t) Biodiversity Importance -Bushmaster snake (lives in the rainforest) venom used as a pattern to make hypertension medicine. -As of 1985, 119 pure chemical substances extracted from higher plants were used in medicine. Therapeutic PlantDrugCategory FoxgloveDigitoxinCardiotonix Opium poppyCodeineAnalgesic MorphineSedative TobaccoNicotineInsecticide May applePodophyllotoxinCancer White willowSalicinAnalgesic (Asperin - known to Hippocrates) Cocoa, CacoaTheobromineDiuretic CurareTubocurarineSkeletal muscle relaxant (Arrow poison) Pacific yewToxalOvarian Cancer (4-6 trees to treat 1 woman) (~200,000 trees exist) (20,000 cases per year)

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-8 The Carbon Cycle South American Burning Cycles 1998 fires Jan - Dec Note - Aug/Sept/ Oct max for central and southern regions Note - Feb/Mar max for northern area

Climate and Global Change Notes 29-9 South American Burning Cycles (Con’t) The Carbon Cycle

Climate and Global Change Notes African Burning Cycles1998 fires Jan - Dec Dec/Jan max through central Africa, Jun/Jul max farther south The Carbon Cycle

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification 90°N 60°N 30°N 0° 30°S 60°S 90°S Latitude Rainfall Evaporation Runoff Millimeters per year Desertification/desertification.html? June 2005 Sahel Sahel stretches across Africa, roughly 15° north of Equator Satellite measurements of vegetation reveal it as a transition zone between sands of the Sahara and jungles of the Congo in heart of Africa

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification Sahel (Con’t) Collapse N N/ Year Cattle, Camels, & Goats (N = 600,000) Population (N = 150,000) Soil Condition: Grams of vegetation per 10,000 m 2 (N = 450) Study/Desertification/ desertification2.html

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification Sahel (Con’t) MODIS -Albedo Albedo Study/Desertification/ desertification2.html

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification Sahel (Con’t) Change Study/Desertification/ desertification2.html

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification Sahel (Con’t) 2003 data spatially averaged over area 8.5ºW–8.5ºE and 12.5º–15.5ºN Monthly mean precipitation in millimeters per day (blue) Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) (green) Broadband surface albedo (red) Eos, Vol. 88, No. 3, 16 January 2007

Climate and Global Change Notes Desertification Sahel (Con’t) 1984 and 2003 latitudinal profile of total June to October (JJASO) precipitation 1984 and 2003 mean August to October (ASO) broadband surface albedo averaged between 18ºW and 20ºE Eos, Vol. 88, No. 3, 16 January 2007

Climate and Global Change Notes Brazilian Rainforests Deforestation

Climate and Global Change Notes Rondonia, Brazil Deforestation

Climate and Global Change Notes Guatemala Deforestation

Climate and Global Change Notes Guatemala1986 to 1997Red is forest; Greens are roads and cleared landArea of picture about 40% size of New Jersey Peten, Guatemala Deforestation Peten, Guatemala

Climate and Global Change Notes FactsEquivalent of ten city blocks of rainforest is destroyed every minute, that an area the size of Pennsylvania lost every year7% of the Earth's dry land surface is rainforest, home to more than 50% of the world's plants and animalsA bulldozer must remove 60 rainforest trees to reach one mahogany treeThere are 100 different species of large trees in a single acre of rainforest Deforestation

Climate and Global Change Notes FactsEstimate rate of deforestation Deforestation

Climate and Global Change Notes System Dynamics The Earth System (Kump, Kastin & Crane) Chap. 2 (pp ) Chap. 14 (pp

Climate and Global Change Notes System Dynamics Positive Feedback Desertification - Sahel Ice - Albedo feedback Negative Feedback CO 2 - Cloud - Albedo feedback CO 2 - Plankton feedback