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Water and carbon (Transfers in the carbon cycle (Oceanic carbon pumps…
Water and carbon
Transfers in the carbon cycle
Photosynthesis
Atmosphere to plants
Respiration
Biosphere to atmosphere
Decomposition
Biosphere to atmosphere and soil
Combustion
Organic material to atmosphere
Burial and compaction
Organic matter to fossil fuels and limestone
Oceanic carbon pumps
When warm water enters cold regions it sinks as it cools and the cool water from underneath it rises to the surface where it warms and loses carbon dioxide because cold water can hold more carbon dioxide than warm water
Living things move carbon from the atmosphere into the water and then eventually the rocks
Water to atmosphere and atmosphere to water
Volcanic activity
Rocks to atmosphere
Deforestation
Biosphere to atmosphere
Urban growth
Fossil fuels to atmosphere
Carbon sequestration
Atmosphere to plants or underground
Weathering
Rock to hydrosphere
Factors affecting storm hydrographs and discharge
Land use
relief
drainage basin size
rock type
drainage density
soil
vegetation
use of water
Stores of carbon
Ocean
Fossil fuels
Coal
Oil
Gas
Atmosphere
Soil
Sedimentary rock
Biggest store
Plants
Water balance/budget
runoff discharge = precipitation - evapotranspiration +/- changes in state
PET - Potential evapotranspiration
The amount of evapotranspiration that would take place if there was no limit to the amount of soil moisture
AET - Actual evapotranspiration
The amount of evapotranspiration that actually takes place due to lack of soil moisture
Saturated
When the soil moisture store is full
Field capacity
the maximum amount of water the soil can hold
Carbon Budget
Sources
Atmosphere
Fossil Fuels
Earth's crust
Sinks
Plants
Oceans
Soil
The carbon budget is the difference between the inputs and outputs in a part of the carbon cycle
Impacts of the changing carbon budget
On land
Higher temperatures cause permafrost to melt releasing permafrost
Increased wildfires
Intensive agriculture means more crops which means a larger biomass store of carbon
Increased temperatures mean more decomposition which means more carbon in the soil
More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in more plant growth
On oceans
Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause an increase in the acidity of the oceans which has a negative impact on marine life
Phytoplankton may not survive the changes to the oceans and this will affect the whole food chain
Warmer water can absorb less carbon dioxide so more stays in the atmosphere
Sea level rise
Melting sea ice affects polar bears
On the atmosphere
More greenhouse gases
Temperature increase
Positive feedback loops mean more and more greenhouse gases are entering the atmosphere
Intense storms
Mitigation of climate change
Global
International agreements
Paris 2015
Meet regularly to discuss
Limit global temperature increase
Not enough to reduce climate change significantly
Kyoto 1997
Focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions
192 countries agreed to it
The USA is not involved in either of these agreements which is bad because they contribute significantly to global carbon emissions
Carbon trading schemes
Benefits
Incentive to develop better technology
Governments gradually reduce number of permits available to reduce carbon emissions
Negatives
Complex
Difficult to measure emissions
Only effective if all countries take part
Carbon taxing is easier
Has a greater impact on poorer people with less flexibility to change their lifestyles
Aviation industry
Flight management
100% occupancy of seats
Fuel efficient routes
Avoiding circling/queueing
Design and technology
increased engine efficiency
increased use of biofuels
improved aerodynamics
reduced weight of aircraft
carbon capture within the engines
Regional/national
Afforestation
Benefits
reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Negatives
May not be permanent - wildfires?
Requires a lot of space
Woodland needs to be sustainably managed
Sustainable urban areas
Public transport
Cycle lanes
Green, open spaces
Reducing landfill - recycling
CCS
CCS - Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Used to extract more oil and gas - good economically but adds to the environmental problem
Changing farming practices
Carbon farming - when one type of crop is replaced with another because the new plant absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
reduced ploughing
using fertilisers increases plant productivity so more carbon dioxide is absorbed
Renewable energy
reduce emissions
nicer to live by
expensive
needs to be used more
Individuals
Less air travel
Eat less meat
Insulate your house
More efficient appliances
Electric cars
Solar panels
Renewable energy supplier
Water stores
Examples
Cryosphere
Glaciers
Biosphere
Animals
Plants
Lithospere
Soil
Atmosphere
Air
Hydrosphere
Oceans
Surface water
Lakes
Rivers
Processes of change in magnitude of water stores
Evaporation
Transfers water from the hydrosphere and the biosphere to the atmosphere
Condensation
Transfers water from the atmosphere to the biosphere and lithosphere
Cryospheric processes
Glacial and interglacial periods can significantly impact sea level
Cryosphere is a huge store
Factors affecting change in the water cycle
Human
Arable farming
ploughing allows more infiltration
crops cause more interception and evapotranspiration, lowering river discharge and increasing biosphere store
Seasonal
Crops cause more rain but cancel it out with more interception
Livestock farming
Livestock trample and compact the ground decreasing infiltration and causing more runoff
Affects smaller areas than arable farming
long term gradual process
Irrigation
increases runoff
could cause flash floods
soil erosion reduces infiltration
short term, small area
Deforestation
less interception
causes soil erosion which means less infiltration
increased runoff
increased river discharge
more chance of flooding
irreversible
long term
Urbanisation
Impermeable surfaces
More runoff
no infiltration
drainage systems transport water to rivers faster, increasing discharge
Short term flooding
Affects a lot of people because cities are so densely populated
Water abstraction
Groundwater levels fall = river levels fall
this could cause periods of drought which leads to more water being abstracted which leads to a positive feedback loop
Long term
Large scale
Physical
Seasonal variations in rainfall
Increased precipitation in winter
Increased river discharge in winter
Increased risk of flooding in winter
Predictable
regular
Relatively long term
Seasonal variations in temperature
Colder in winter
water freezes in winter
more evaporation in summer
baked soil in summer reduces capillary action which means more surface runoff which means bigger river discharge and more chance of flooding
Regular, predictable
Long term
Seasonal variations in vegetation
Less vegetation in winter
more surface runoff
less biosphere storage
regular, predictable
Long term
Changes to the carbon cycle
Physical
Natural climate change (glacial and interglacial periods)
Melting permafrost releases methane
Forest coverage is affected and therefore photosynthesis is affected
Decomposers less effective in cold conditions
Less build up of sediments due to less water flowing in rivers and oceans because of the ice
Wildfires
Quasi-natural
Large scale change - change forests from carbon sinks to carbon sources
Ash is fertile which balances the effects a little
Volcanic activity
Not as active today
Releases carbon that has been stored for millions of years - large scale change
Lava reacts with carbon in the air so it balances the effects a bit
Human
Combustion of fossil fuels
Burnt in large quantities
Fossil fuels are a long term store and when it is burnt it is all released in one go - large scale change
Carbon is released much faster than fossil fuels form
Farming practices
Ploughing, harvesting, livestock and fertilisers all release carbon
Deforestation
Burning of trees releases carbon immediately
Deforestation occurs much faster than it takes for trees to grow
If the land id then used for something else it has a greater effect because it is no longer a carbon sink
Urbanisation
Vegetation is cleared
soil covered up
Transport causes emissions of carbon
Industry causes emissions