Unit 1

    Cards (26)

    • How much carbon does the biosphere contain?
      560 billion tonnes
    • What percentage of carbon is contained in the biosphere?

      0.0012%
    • How much carbon is in the atmosphere?
      750 billion tonnes
    • By what percentage has atmospheric carbon increased in the past 100 years?

      36%
    • How much carbon does the hydrosphere contain?
      38,000 billion tonnes
    • What percentage of carbon in the hydrosphere exists as bicarbonate?
      90%
    • What percentage of carbon is found in the pedosphere?
      0.0031%
    • What percentage of all carbon is contained in the lithosphere?
      99.9%
    • What is the time span of the slow carbon cycle?

      • 100 - 200 million years
    • What causes chemical weathering of rocks in the slow carbon cycle?
      Carbonic acid from CO2 and water vapor
    • How is acid rain formed?
      When sulfur or nitrogen oxides mix with water
    • What happens when acid rain hits calcium carbonate (limestone)?
      1. CO2 and calcium bicarbonate are created
      2. Bubbles can be seen
      3. The rock is calved, creating karst landscapes
    • Where does the calcium bicarbonate go after being transported by rivers?
      To the sea where it is used in shells
    • What happens to shells when animals die?
      They sink and accumulate on the ocean floor
    • What is the process called when shells compact to form rocks?
      Lithification
    • How much carbon is returned to the atmosphere annually through subduction and volcanic activity?
      200 million tonnes
    • What is the life span of carbon in the fast carbon cycle?

      • 109,000 million tonnes of carbon move through it annually
    • How does CO2 move in the ocean during the fast carbon cycle?
      It diffuses and is moved by thermohaline currents
    • What is the process called when CO2 is transferred down to the ocean floor?
      Downwelling
    • What role do phytoplankton play in the biological pump?
      They photosynthesize and absorb carbon
    • What percentage of greenhouse gas emissions are accounted for by wildfires?
      • 20%
    • What would happen to wildfires if global average temperatures rise by 1.5 °C?

      Wildfires would increase by 40%
    • What percentage of wildfires is caused by physical factors?
      10%
    • What percentage of global energy comes from fossil fuels?
      85%
    • By how much have global average temperatures risen since 1880?

      1. 2 °C
    • What were the consequences of the 2019 wildfires in Australia?

      • 3 deaths
      • 150 hectares destroyed
      • 850,000 acres burnt
      • Strong winds and drought
      • Temperatures over 30 °C
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