APES UNIT 1 - The Carbon Cycle

• What is considered the most important cycle in terms of human impact and environmental consequences?

  The Carbon Cycle
• What gases are leading to major changes in the atmosphere?

  CO₂ (carbon dioxide) and CH₄ (methane)
• What effect do CO₂ and CH₄ have on the Earth's temperature?

  They trap heat, contributing to the Greenhouse Effect
• What is happening to the average temperature of the Earth?

  The average temperature is increasing
• What are the major carbon sinks?

  1. Hydrosphere
  2. Lithosphere
  3. Biosphere
• Which carbon sink is the biggest for CO₂?

  The ocean
• What animals need limestone?

  Sponges and corals
• What is the second biggest carbon reservoir?

  The lithosphere
• How do solids settle in aquatic environments contribute to the carbon cycle?


  They can be organic or inorganic and contribute to carbon storage
• What are fossil fuel deposits made of?

  Coal, oil, and natural gas
• How are fossil fuel deposits formed?

  From organic sediments that have been buried and subjected to heat and pressure for millions of years
• What contributes to healthy, nutrient-rich soil?

  Organic matter from decomposition
• What are examples of carbonate rocks?

  Limestone and chalk
• What has historically been Earth's largest terrestrial carbon sink?

  Permafrost
• What is the role of vegetation in the carbon cycle?

  It acts as the third biggest carbon sink and sequesters carbon through photosynthesis
• What is required for photosynthesis to occur?


  CO₂ as a reactant
• What can glucose be converted into?


  Other organic molecules and sequestered in the biomass of vegetation
• How is carbon incorporated into the biomass of animals?

  Through the food chain as animals consume vegetation
• What has caused a sharp increase in CO₂ and CH₄ emissions since the Industrial Revolution?

  Human activities
• What does ice core data reveal about greenhouse gas emissions?

  It shows trends in GHG emissions over geologic time
• How are carbon reservoirs in the lithosphere being affected by human activity?

  We are depleting them faster than they can be replenished
• What is the consequence of too much CO₂ and CH₄ in the atmosphere?

  It leads to climate change
• What are the results of ocean warming?


  Sea level rise, melting of land ice, and coral bleaching
• What is ocean acidification?

  It is a result of increased CO₂ levels in the ocean
• What are the impacts of climate change?

  • Shifting weather patterns (droughts, wildfires)
  • Extended weather patterns
  • Altered vector-borne disease seasons
  • Changes in animal migration patterns
• What are some solutions to mitigate carbon emissions?

  • Increase CO₂ sequestration
  • Conserve forests and wetlands
  • Switch to nuclear and renewable energies
  • Improve energy efficiency and conservation
  • Change agricultural practices (e.g., no-till, eating less meat)
• What is the main contributor to carbon emissions from fossil fuels?

  Combustion
• What percentage of carbon emissions comes from transportation?

  28%
• What agricultural practice contributes to CO₂ emissions?

  Tilling
• What happens to carbon that is sequestered in trees when they are burned?

  It is released into the atmosphere
• What is the main source of CH₄ emissions from agriculture?

  The raising of cattle
• What contributes to CH₄ emissions from organic waste?

  Anaerobic decomposition
• What is the result of increased CO₂ and CH₄ in the atmosphere?

  They are greenhouse gases that trap heat
• What is the result of climate change on global temperatures?

  It causes the average global temperature to rise
• What is the relationship between CO₂ and CH₄ and climate change?

  They are greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change