Carbon 121/18/2024 ![]() ![]() Net sources of carbon dioxide have a positive (+) sign in the chart above, while net sinks have a negative (-) sign. The main reservoirs that climate scientists study are:įossil fuels (ancient plants that have been buried underground for millions of years) The carbon cycle describes and quantifies the movement of carbon through different reservoirs on Earth. To truly understand the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and how we, as humans, may be altering our atmosphere, we have to look at the entire carbon cycle. To answer these questions, scientists at NOAA's Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases Group use measurements of greenhouse gases and their isotopes. Will these surface reservoirs “fill up” and no longer take up the extra CO 2, leading to an even faster rise in CO 2 in the atmosphere? Could we discover ways to increase the amount of CO 2 taken up by these surface reservoirs, and thus reduce the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere? What other effects may this have, such as the ocean becoming more acidic 1?Īnswering these questions will help us to understand what might happen in the future as CO 2 levels continue to rise. Which parts of the ocean are absorbing the carbon dioxide? How much carbon dioxide is being absorbed into the ocean? Is this offset by increased plant growth in other parts of the terrestrial biosphere? How much carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere from deforestation? Which parts of the biosphere are absorbing CO 2, and why?Īre some parts of the biosphere releasing CO 2 to the atmosphere? How much of the added CO 2 goes into the oceans, and how much into the biosphere? Where in the world is the carbon dioxide from fossil fuels coming from? How much of the carbon dioxide in the air comes from fossil fuels? The rest is absorbed by the oceans and land plants.Įven with this wealth of knowledge, scientists have more to discover about carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere and its interactions with the oceans and land. Yet only about half of the carbon dioxide produced each year from fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere. We know that this increase is caused by burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas - which emit carbon dioxide into the air. Hollings Scholarship Program.Įver since the early 1960s, atmospheric scientists have known that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are on the rise. This project was made possible through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ernest F. Thanks NOAA ESRL's Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group, and the Stable Isotope Laboratory and the Radiocarbon Laboratory, both at INSTAAR (University of Colorado), for their help in creating this website. Lauren is a mathematics and biology double major at Colorado College. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |