Carbon me

• How much carbon does anaerobic reactions convert into a liquid?

  90% of organic carbon into liquid (crude oil)
• What is the largest carbon store?

  sedimentary rock store
• How much carbon does the sedimentary rock store hold?

  83,000,000 Pgc
• What is the largest carbon flux?

  photosynthesis
• How much carbon does photosynthesis transport?

  123 Pgc/year
• How does the oceanic circulation move carbon?

  vertically - through the up-welling and down-welling of water

  horizontally - through the thermohaline circulation
• What are the stages of thermohaline circulation?

  1. Polar ocean water is very cold, surrounding areas increase in saltiness and density, sinks

  2. current is recharged as it passes Antarctica - water increases in density and cold

  3. The main branch of circulation is split into two heading northwards one towards the Indian Ocean, one towards the Pacific Ocean

  4. as they travel northwards water begins to become lighter and rises, loops back round southward and westward

  5. warm water now at surface and starts circulation again
• What is the NPP of tropical rainforests? Why?

  -2100 g/m2/yr

  - year round growing season
• What is the NPP of temperate grasslands? Why?

  - 550 g/m2/yr

  - 2 wet seasons, 2 dry seasons - soil and vegetation dry out
• How much carbon is stored in soil around the world?

  2700 Pgc
• What are the signs of healthy soils?

  - dark and crumbly

  - contain worms and other organisms

  - provide air, water and nutrients for micro-organisms and plants to thrive

  -improved resilience to wetter weather- increased infiltration and percolation, reduced soil erosion and flood risk

  - ability to regulate temperature during heatwaves

  -more organic matter

  -sequester carbon
• What are the positive impacts of a 2C warming?

  - 10 million fewer people losing homes to rising sea levels

  - 2 million Sqkm of permafrost saved over the century

  -50% reduction in people experiencing water scarcity

  -50% reduction in species losing more than 1/2 of their geographic range
• What is a tipping point?


  an abrupt, possibly irreversible, large-scale change
• What are the impacts of deforestation in Madagascar on carbon stores?

  - large impact on size of terrestrial carbon stores

  - 180 t per hectare stored in above-ground biomass

  - 64 t in below-ground biomass
• What are the impacts of deforestation in Madagascar on soil health?

  - leaves behind coarser and heavier soils

  - co2 is released from decaying woody material

  -loss of biomass due to lack of plant growth and photosynthesis

  -increased leaching - minerals are lost

  - rapid soil erosion leads to a loss of nutrients
• What are the impacts of deforestation in Madagascar on the water cycyle?

  -infiltration decreased

  -erosion and surface runoff increased

  -shorter lagtime and higher flood peaks

  -increased discharge - flooding

  -more eroded material carried into the river both as bedload and as silt and clay in suspension

  - annual rainfall decreases and the seasonality of rain increases
• What are the 4 main human activities contributing to carbon emissions?

  - fossil fuels

  - industry

  = agriculture (1/4 greenhouse gases)

  - deforestation
• What is the impacts of the conversion of grasslands on carbon stores?

  - initial removal of grasslands releases co2 from the soil into the atmosphere

  -annual ploughing of soil allows bacteria to release co2

  - biofuel crops need carbon based nitrogen fertilisers and chemical pesticides
• What % of carbon emissions are created by the richest 50% of the global population?

  86%
• What is the world's meat consumption predicted to increase to by 2050? What are the impacts?

  - 52kg/per person per year

  - water and land intensive - diverts farmland from staple crops

  - degrading water and soil
• What is the amount of carbon in the atmosphere today?

  410 ppm
• Anthropogenic causes of climate change are ...


  ... caused by human activity
• What % of carbon emissions can be attributed to the production of cement?

  5%
• How many kgs of greenhouse gases does it take to produce 1 kg of beef?

  60 kg
• What are the mitigation strategies for climate change?

  -carbon taxation

  -renewable switching

  -energy efficiency

  -afforestation

  -carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• What are the benefits of CCS?

  - large producers could be forced to capture their emissions before it is released into the atmosphere

  -securely confined

  -could reduce emissions by 80-90%

  -Canada's Saskatchewan commercial ccs plant expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 1 million tonnes a year
• What are the costs and risks of CCS?

  - it is a relatively new concept

  - not much is known about its feasibility and efficiency
• What are the benefits of carbon taxation?

  - encouraging people and businesses to reduce emissions by reducing the amount of fuel or electricity they use

  - UK's carbon price floor (CPF) is a tax on fossil fuels used to generate electricity
• What are the costs and risks of carbon taxation?

  - doesn't directly solve problems

  -can face public backlash

  -Uk 2016 taxes accounted for over 1/2 the price of petrol and diesel petrol
• What are the benefits of renewable switching?

  - could reduce co2 by 50% by 2060

  -EU agreed to reduce by 30% by 2030

  - Sweden oil provides 20% of energy, 83% of renewable from Nuclear and HEP
• What are the costs and risks of renewable switching?

  - relies on investment during the construction stage

  - could be delayed due to the changing energy market
• What are the benefits of afforestation?


  - Beltaghat, India expected to reduce co2 by 200,000 tonnes over a 30 year period

  -5% forest = 50% diversity

  - 2000-2020 remove 166,000 tonnes of carbon a year
• What are the costs and risks of afforestation?


  -less space available for crops - lower crop yield and income

  - mixed results
• What are the benefits of energy efficiency?

  -lack of energy efficiency contributes to around 1/3 of global carbon emissions

  -UK gov estimates that by 2020 energy efficiency policy could save energy use of 9m - equivalent to 19 power stations
• What are the costs and risks of energy efficiency?


  - each group will need personalised solutions to their needs
• What are the adaptation strategies for climate change?

  - water conservation and management

  - resilient agriculture

  - land-use panning

  -solar radiation and mirrors

  -flood risk management
• What are the benefits of water conservation and management?


  - 2007-2009 China saved 11.8% of its previous water consumption

  - could alleviate water scarcity and food scarcity issues

  - Singapore
• What are the costs and risks of water conservation and management?


  - China - only 11% of national plans link to projects in the lower Mekong

  - expensive
• What are the benefits of resilient agriculture methods?


  - Uganda - provide seasonal forecasts to improve agricultural productivity

  - China - could increase maize yields by 15.2% by 2050
• What are the costs and risks of resilient agriculture methods?

  - forecasts could be wrong

  - expensive to set up in every village