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Global Carbon Cycle and Global Climate Change
Ecology: Science Behind Environmental Issues
Spring 2010
Global Carbon Cycle(simple view)
EoE- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Carbon_cycle
Main “Resevoirs” for Carbon
• Atmosphere• Rocks– Including fossil fuels
• Water• Living Organisms
Humans Have Altered the Global Carbon Cycle
• Burning Fossil Fuels– Increases the rate of movement of carbon from
“rocks” to “atmosphere”• Deforestation– Lower number of plants photosynthesizing decreases
the rate that carbon moves from “atmosphere” to “living organisms”
• Burning Trees– Increases the rate that carbon moves from “living
organisms” to the atmosphere
Woods Hole Research Center- http://www.whrc.org/carbon/index.htm
Woods Hole Research Center- http://www.whrc.org/carbon/index.htm
Mauna Loa Observatory
EoE-http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mauna_Loa_curve
Mauna Loa Curve
EoE- http://www.eoearth.org/image/Mauna_loa_curve.jpg
Carbon Dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas
• Electromagnetic energy from the sun is transmitted through carbon dioxide
• Infrared radiation (heat) is absorbed by carbon dioxide and reradiated
Greenhouse Effect
Global Climate Change
• Unless otherwise noted, all slides are from a presentation developed by Katharine Hayhoe, a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University– She was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change as was awarded a Nobel Prize as part of that group.
– Her full presentation and other info is available athttp://katharinehayhoe.com/
Mauna Loa Curve
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mauna_Loa_curve
Greenhouse Effect
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Greenhouse_effect
What experiment can we conduct to “prove” that human activity is causing global warming?
We only have one planet, so we can’t do a controlled, replicated, manipulative experiment?
Thus, we have to rely on mathematical models.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change_%28IPCC%29
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
