...Not long ago, few people thought much about the role carbon dioxide plays in Earth's atmosphere. Today, with each new mention of melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and higher than average temperatures, we hear more than ever about a connection between human activities, carbon dioxide, and global warming. What is the connection between this gas and a potential global catastrophe? Before looking at carbon dioxide's role in global warming, it is important to recognize the role this naturally occurring gas plays in maintaining our planet's temperature. Earth's relatively warm surface temperature is the result of an atmospheric process called the greenhouse effect. Among the molecules that blanket our planet are some gases that absorb heat. They act much like the glass of a greenhouse, letting sunlight in while preventing heat from escaping. For this reason they are called greenhouse gases. The most important naturally occurring greenhouse gases are water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas climate experts are most concerned about because the increase in human-related CO2 emissions since the industrial revolution is now linked to the current global warming trend. As this resource illustrates, carbon cycles through the environment and often changes its molecular form. Some types of carbon molecules remain unchanged, or sequestered, in the environment for long periods of time. The diagram shows these...
Words: 495 - Pages: 2
...Lab 5: DATA TABLES: CARBON CYCLE LESSON 1 |Lesson 1: |Gaseous Carbon |Ocean Water |Fossil Fuels |Biosphere Gaseous Carbon | |Step 1 | | | | | |To Year |Atmosphere |Ocean Surface |Deep Ocean |Oil and Gas |Coal |Soil |Terrestrial Plants| |2000 |700 |1000 |38000 |500 |2000 |1800 |700 | |2050 |863 |1000 |38000 |168 |1818 |+237 |752 | |2100 |1395 |+197 |+699 |0 |676 |+298 |833 | |Lesson 1: |Total Carbon |Gaseous Carbon |Ocean Water |Fossil Fuels |Biosphere Gaseous Carbon | |Step 2 |Emissions | | | | | |To Year | |If only one half of the flora in the world existed in 2100 (perhaps due to deforestation), what do you predict the atmospheric carbon | |level would be? How would you change the simulation to...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...1. What would happen to the atmospheric carbon level if the total amount of land vegetation decreased by 50% by 2100 (perhaps due to deforestation)? Explain in your answer in 3-5 sentences. 2. Compare the build up of carbon in the ocean with what happens in soil. Which sink increases faster (the ocean or soil)? 3. Identify at least two ways the carbon content in soil increases? In other words, how does carbon get into soil? The Carbon Cycle – Part 2 Questions 1. How does the change in fossil fuel consumption relate to the change of carbon in terrestrial plants? 2. How does the change in carbon emissions (the smokestack) relate to the carbon in the ocean surface? What impact could fifty years at this level of emissions have on marine fauna? On marine flora? 3. Which areas are most strongly (and quickly) affected by an increase in carbon emissions (and increase in fossil fuel consumption)? 4. What effect does a high atmospheric carbon level have on the deep ocean? Curb Emissions - Part 1 1. Which sinks have reduced carbon levels in comparison to the results from the original simulation run in Carbon Cycle: Part 1? 2. Where did the carbon go? In other words, in which sinks do carbon levels increase? Curb Emissions - Part 2 1. What was the highest annual percentage increase in fossil fuel usage that will keep atmospheric CO2 below 550 ppm in 2100? 2. How could this decrease in fossil fuel consumption be achieved...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...is the result of over-consumption. There are three biogeochemical cycles that humans effect daily: The Carbon Cycle, The Phosphorus Cycle as well as the Nitrogen Cycle. As learned by the Law of Conservation of Matter, atoms simply cannot be destroyed or created, instead they recycle themselves, so these cycles indicate how the unique variations of atoms are converted and used by consumption. Carbon is found in the World’s atmosphere, as well as released from the burning of fossil fuels or just breathed out of many species’ mouth, including humans. In this cycle you may choose to begin using the large amounts of carbon that may be in the atmosphere and which is then pulled in from plant life and developed into organic matter (oxygen) that can help animals breathing. In eating the plant, the animal then picks up the transformed atom and in turn, transforms it back into carbon when they breathe. In death their bodies are eaten by scavengers that will release the carbon back into the air or perhaps stay deposited in the earth, which could then turn into coal or another fossil fuel which have been burned, releasing the carbon back into the air to complete its cycle. Humans are cutting down forests for an ever-growing population which is decreasing the amount of CO2 transferred to oxygen, decreasing our air quality. To make situations worse , over ingestion of fossil fuels are allowing a considerable amount of carbon into the atmosphere causes a shortage of a natural protector from...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...water cycle, phosphorus cycle, nitrogen cycle and carbon cycle are only a few examples of these processes; but are all equally important in the function of our atmosphere. The carbon cycle is vital to the flow of carbon through the Earth system. An individual carbon atom compacted in a leaf on a bush may move to the body of an animal that eats the leaf. When the animal dies, this carbon atom could link with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Carbon is released into our atmosphere through respiration and combustion, and later is synthesized through photosynthesis. Respiration occurs when any living being or creature breathes and releases carbon into the air. When you really consider the number of living, breathing things on Earth; it is easy to imagine that we release an immense amount of carbon. Another way carbon is released into our atmosphere is through combustion, or the burning of products or organic matter. Combustion is different from respiration in the way that...
Words: 654 - Pages: 3
...Abstract Normally found along coastal lines, estuaries offer a safe haven for water, air and land creatures alike. One flourishing estuary in particular is located in the Tampa area and is known as the Tampa Bay Estuary. The Nitrogen cycle is a cycle where nitrogen through decaying vegetation, excrement and carcasses materialize into the nitrogen we find in the soil. The Nitrogen cycle is almost identical to the Carbon cycle. Natural Disturbance are disturbances caused by Mother Nature. Anthropogenic caused disturbances are man’s way of harming the ecosystem. Nature has a way of recovering with and without help. Estuary Ecosystem The United States of American is a country that consists of many different ecosystems in a relatively small space. From the arid desert climate with scorching temperatures to mountainous areas that stay frozen year round, the United States has many different ecosystems to offer. One ecosystem in particular is the estuary system. Normally found along coastal lines, estuaries offer a safe haven for water, air and land creatures alike. It also offers a great area for many different types of vegetation to grow. One state with a plethora of estuaries is the state of Florida. Florida, having a relatively warm climate year round and having a coast line that almost surrounds the entire state, gives these ecosystems a great environment to flourish. One flourishing estuary in particular is located in the Tampa area and is known as the Tampa Bay Estuary. This...
Words: 1224 - Pages: 5
...decrease the classes' contribution to the carbon cycle during the term? Consider the differences between the two in terms of methods of travel, and use of facilities, energy, and other resources. Remember to focus on the impact to the carbon cycle. Part 2) Complete the ecological footprint quiz at the following link: http://myfootprint.org/en/visitor_information and report your results. What did you learn about you and your family's impact on the environment? • Part 1) We decrease the distribution to the carbon cycle by being in online classes, because the burning of fossil fuels increase the amount of CO2 being distributed into the air. Being in online classes keeps one indoors to do their classwork and participate. • Part 2) My carbon footprint is 59.47, My food footprint is 76.46, My housing footprint is 34.17, My goods and services footprint is 21.15. If everyone in the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 4.95 earths. After doing this quiz, it showed me that I need to start recycling a little more and buying products that would be better for me and the environment specially when it comes to the foods I eat, I need to eat more healthier and spend less on fast food items which is something me and my family frequent every weekend. I did not know just the little things I do could effect the environment so much. Exercise 2. Using ONE ecosystem from the list below, explain the role of the carbon, hydrologic, phosphorus, and nitrogen cycles in this ecosystem. Choose from a "normal":...
Words: 481 - Pages: 2
...to travel on which in turn leads to more waste being put into the air by those vehicles. Discuss 2 reasons why this is very difficult, especially in the Amazon Tropical Rain Forest. 3) A. The biggest reason is because of the over population of the world. They needs to be more land to build houses and communities for people. B. Another reason is because there are so many more people I the world, there needs to be more food. Since the Amazon is such a large area of land it just continues to get cut down for more places to plant plantations. Not only that but we also need the wood for furniture and paper products for everyone. Looking at the Water & Carbon Cycle (chapters 3 & 10), discuss how deforestation impacts these two cycles. 4) Trees are extremely important to the water and carbon cycles. Firstly they absorb rainfall and produce water vapor that is released into the atmosphere. The biggest advantage of this is that it prevents widespread flooding. In the Amazon, a little of half of the water in the ecosystem is contained in the plants and trees. These trees also help to remove some of the...
Words: 386 - Pages: 2
...A pollutant can affect the health of humans, as well as the health of plants and animals. Pollutants can also affect non-living materials such as paints, metals, and fabrics. The video also talked about “The Carbon Cycle” which is a complex series of processes through which all of the carbon atoms in existence rotate. The same carbon atoms in your body today have been used in countless other molecules since time began. The wood burned just a few decades ago could have produced carbon dioxide which through photosynthesis became part of a plant. Secondary pollutants are generally more problematic than that of primary pollutants, because mitigation of secondary pollutants requires the identification of the precursor compounds.. The video also talks about using an “AQI” which is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. To make it easier to understand, the AQI is divided into six categories. The six levels of health concern and what they mean are: “Good" AQI is 0 - 50. Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk, "Moderate" AQI is 51 - 100. Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms; “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" AQI is 101 - 150. Although general public...
Words: 377 - Pages: 2
...nature; includes fats and oils (Schlenker & Long, 2007) per gram than proteins and carbohydrates ! Fat provides more than twice as many kilocalories ! Organic compounds formed from a carbon chain backbone and hydrogen and oxygen atoms attached (Schlenker & Long, 2007) ! Fatty acids is the structural component of fats ! Triglyceride: chemical name for fat made up of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol base; the form of fatty acids when stored in the body (Schlenker & Long, 2007) ! Stored in adipose tissue (Schlenker & Long, 2007) ATP Production 1. Beta-oxidation of fatty acids ! Breakdown of triglycerides into 2-carbon units to become acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) (Grodner, Roth & Walkingshaw, 2012) 2. Acetyl CoA enters tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle) 3. The carbon and hydrogen atoms from the fatty acids oxidize to carbon dioxide and water and release energy as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (Grodner, Roth & Walkingshaw, 2012) Characteristics of Fatty Acids ! Degree of saturation gives lipids their physical characteristics (Schlenker & Long, 2007) ! Saturated Fatty Acids ! Hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom ! Solid at room temperature ! Examples: Butter, peanut butter, meats, vegetable oils ! Unsaturated Fatty Acids ! Carbon chains with double bonds ! Fewer hydrogen atoms ! Liquid at room temperature ! Examples: peanut oil, olive oil, canola oil (Calhoun) 3D Models of Fatty Acids Role of Fatty...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
...from physical and mathematical evidence of how one thing led to another. Hydrogen is found to be the most abundant element in the universe (97%) and comprises the core of most stars. Stars are seen as fusion furnaces forming (creating), at the least, the elements of the periodic table up to iron. Science finds that 99.6% of the human body is comprised of 11 elements. 54 trace elements make up the rest of the body. We are made of star dust. Each atom in our bodies is at least 5 billion years old. I wonder where all they have been in that time. This is one big reason to start teaching the Periodic Table of Elements in the 1st Grade. Start with 5 elements that they encounter everyday: Oxygen (air) and Hydrogen (water); add Carbon and make carbon dioxide, carbohydrates and fats; add Nitrogen and you've got proteins; and for brushing those teeth we'll add fluorine for the fluoride in toothpaste. Each year add new elements and processes that make our bodies, our world, and the entire universe work. No fear, no confusion, no intimidation. Atoms build molecules, compounds and materials through electro-magnetic bonding. All living organisms...
Words: 1792 - Pages: 8
...The term "prepreg" is actually an abbreviation for the phrase pre-impregnated. A prepreg is a fiber reinforced and pre-impregnated with a resin, most commonly consists of a fabric (Carbon, Kevlar, Glass, etc.) impregnated with a resin maintained in a pre-gelled condition. The primary resin matrix used is epoxy. However, other thermoset resins are made into prepregs including BMI and phenolic resins. Carbon fiber is first developed in 1958 in Cleveland, OH, by heating rayon strands which was of relatively poor quality and strength. Then, a few years later, the Japanese developed a chemical process for manufacturing the carbon fibers which is still in use today. In 1963, at Rolls Royce in England, industrial scale production and high quality...
Words: 763 - Pages: 4
...FORMS OF CARBONS ✓ APPLICATIONS Carbon from Latin: carbo "coal" is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. There are three naturally occurring isotopes, decaying with a half-life of about 5,730 years. Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity. There are several allotropes of carbon of which the best known are graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon. The physical properties of carbon vary widely with the allotropic form. For example, diamond is highly transparent, while graphite is opaque and black. Diamond is among the hardest materials known, while graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper (hence its name, from the Greek word "to write"). Diamond has a very low electrical conductivity, while graphite is a very good conductor. Under normal conditions, diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of all known materials. All carbon allotropes are solids under normal conditions with graphite being the most thermodynamically stable form. They are chemically resistant and require high temperature to react even with oxygen. The most common oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is found in carbon monoxide and other transition metal carbonyl complexes. The largest sources of inorganic carbon are limestones, dolomites and carbon dioxide...
Words: 8042 - Pages: 33
...1. Pollan means that with so many contradicting facts being thrown at people, instead of doing what is right people want to be told what to buy. So if a commercial or someone tells us a fact about a certain food to make it seem healthy people will buy it. People will hesitate from just doing what is right like eating balanced will let someone pursued them into buying something that actually isn’t that healthy for them. This is how the question has become confusing. 2. Pollan means that nationwide we are obsessed with the fact of looking healthy instead of actually being healthy. I completely agree with this because people base what they buy off of what it is supposed to make them look like instead of just plane eating right and exercising. 3. Pollan thinks this because “it never would have happened in a culture in possession of deeply rooted tradition of food and eating”. We are more vulnerable because we are so ethnically and culturally different. We as Americans have no massive religious and cultural ties to food so it makes us more vulnerable to be persuaded into eating no necessarily healthy things. 4. The American Paradox is the people here that are unhealthy and are obsessed with the idea of being or becoming healthy. The French paradox is a healthy group of people that live and eat in ways that we look at as unhealthy. 5. An omnivore eats both other animals and plants. 6. The omnivore’s dilemma is that as omnivore’s we have such a huge selection of possible items...
Words: 2621 - Pages: 11
...1.1 organic compound a molecular compound of carbon, not including CO(g), CO2(g), and HCN(g) hydrocarbon a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms saturated hydrocarbon a hydrocarbon with only single covalent bonds between its carbon atoms alkane a saturated hydrocarbon H H C H (a) H (b) Figure 2 Two representations of the methane molecule: (a) the structural formula and (b) the ball-and-stick model 8 Chapter 1 • Organic Compounds Alkanes Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds. As a general definition, an organic compound is a molecular compound containing carbon with the exception of carbon monoxide, CO(g), carbon dioxide, CO2(g), and hydrogen cyanide, HCN(g). Since carbon has 4 valence electrons, its atoms tend to form 4 covalent bonds. Carbon atoms ofen bond with one another to form chains. Tese chain struc- tures become the backbones of a range of molecules, some of them very complex. Carbon-based molecules are the building blocks for life on Earth. Most fuels are hydrocarbons, whose molecules consist only of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Hydrocarbon fuels include natural gas, gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel fuel. NASCAR racing cars burn an unleaded fuel similar to that used in most cars on the street (Figure 1). Natural gas, which is pri- marily methane, is a major fuel for electric power plants. Butane and propane are used to heat homes and to fuel tools such as soldering torches. Figure...
Words: 5068 - Pages: 21
