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Earth Life Support systems - Coggle Diagram
Earth Life Support systems
Carbon sequestration in the oceans
Physical factors impacting the carbon cycle
temperature
- lower temp, less liquid water for majority of the year, parent rocks with few nutrients = limit plant growth, so limit total carbon store of biomass
Mineral in rocks
- permafrost is impermeable so rock permeability, porosity and mineral rock composition have little influence on carbon + water cycle
vegetation
- PS + NPP are low mostly as growing season is barely 3 months, despite long sunlight hours
organic matter in soil
- low temps slow rates of decomposition as many decomposer organisms cannot survive, soil is not rich in organic matter
The Arctic Tundra
KEY FACTS - 1. Northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia - occupying an area of 8 million km2 2. Negative heat balance with average monthly temperatures below freezing 3. only the top meter thaws during summer
CARBON CYCLE FLOWS
STORES
accumulation of carbon is low due to low temperatures which slow decomposition
plants grow rapidly in short summer
during growing season the activity of micro-organisms increases realasing co2 into the atmosphere through respiration
WATER CYCLE PROCESSES
amy precipitation falls in the form of snow usually between 50-350mm
limited transpiration due to sparesness of vegitation
WATER CYCLE STORES
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permafrost is a barrier to infiltration, percolation, recharge and ground water flow
low rates of evaporation as much of the suns energy in summer is spent melting snow to ensure ground temps remiain low
Dynamic Equilibrium and the water/carbon cycle
Dynamic equilibrium exists in most natural systems when they are not impacted by humans
Reasons:
continuous inputs,
throughputs,
outputs,
variable stores of energy and materials
TEMPORAL EVALUATION
Short term: inputs, outputs, and stores of water and carbon will fluctuate from year to year
Long term: flows and stores remain balanced, allowing the system to retain its stability
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS - restore balance within systems
WATER CYCLE
Unusually heavy rainfall in drainage basin = Increases the amount of water stored in the aquifers. This causes the water table to rise, increasing flow from springs until the water table returns to normal levels.
CARBON CYCLE
Burning fossil fuels increases atmospheric CO2 // at the same time stimulates photosynthesis. This negative feedback response should remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere and restore equilibrium
“Human factors can disturb and enhance the natural processes and stores in the water and carbon cycles”
Land use changes carbon and Water cycles
Urbanisation
DEFINITION
“Land is converted from farmland and woodland to houses, factories, roads, as natural surfaces like vegetation and soil a re replaced by concrete, brick and tarmac”
ARTIFICIAL Surfaces - largely impermeable, allowing little to no infiltration, with minimal storage capacity due to increased run-off
The Importance of Carbon
Common chemical element (proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids).
Stored in carbonate rocks (limestone), sea floor sediments, ocean water, atmosphere and biosphere.
Economic resource (Fossil Fuels).
Oil used to manufacture plastics, paints. Food, timber, paper, textiles from crops and trees.
Water Cycle and its processes
Transfers
Percolation
Groundwater flow
Infiltration
Channel flow
Throughflow
Overland flow
inputs
Precipitation
Forms when water vapour in air cools to dew point. Air condenses to form tiny water droplets to form clouds. Eventually droplets accumulate to a critical size and fall
In high latitudes - falls as snow which may stay on the ground for months = time lag between precipitation and run off
Water and ice that falls from the sky due to gravity
Stores
Groundwater storage
Interception
Vegetation storage
Outputs
River run off
Evaporation
Transpiration
Formation of a cloud
Air is warmed by contact with ground/sea surface and rises freely through the atmosphere
As air rises and pressue falls, it cools via adiabatic expansion
verticle movement of air = convection
Air masses move horizontally across relatively cooler surface (advection)
Air masses rise as they cross a mountain barrier/ as air turbulence causes their ascent
relatively warmer air mixes with the cooler one
When air temperature reaches its dew point 8C condensation occurs and a cloud starts to form
The air continues to rise so long as its internal temp is higher than surrounding atmosphere
where there is stable air, clouds cannot rise further as it is cooler (heavier)
Cumuliform clouds
Form when air is heated locally through conteact with earths surface
Causes warm parcel of air to rise in atmosphere (convection), expand (fall in pressure with altitude) and cool (adiabatic cooling)
As cooling reaches dew point, condensation occurs and clouds form
Stratisform
Air mass moves horizontally across cooler surface (ocean). This and turbulence and mixing = ADVECTION
Cirrus
Forms at high altitude, have tiny ice crystals, do not produce precipitation = Little influence on water cycle
The Water and Carbon Cycles
Global scale - closed systems, between atmosphere, oceans, land, biosphere. Driven by sun's energy.
Carbon
Long term storage - sedimentary rock holds 99.9% of earth's carbon.
Short term - atmosphere, oceans, soil, biosphere.
Processes - photosynthesis, oxidation, respiration, weathering.
Slow Carbon Cycle - stored in rocks, sea floor sediments, fossil fuels. 10-100 million tonnes circulated a year. Co2 used by marine animals and coral for exoskeleton and under heat and pressure to make sedimentary rocks (residence time of 150 million years).
Water
Oceans store 97% earth's water, 2% ice, 0.7% groundwater, 0.01% lakes, 0.005% soils. Least in atmosphere. (water molecule in atmosphere for average of 9 days - rapid flux) (3/4 of earth's freshwater in ice, 1/5 is in groundwater).
Processes - precipitation, evapotranspiration, run-off, groundwater flow.
Inputs and outputs cycle 505,000km3 of water per year. Inputs - Evaporation from oceans, soils, lakes, rivers. Transpired by plants. Outputs - precipitation (rain, snow), condensation, ablation, run-off.
seasonal changes
water
short term
summer
: shallow active layer thaws, liquid water flows to surface - forms millions of pools/shallow lakes. drainage is poor as water cannot infiltrate through permafrost layer
winter
, sub 0 temp prevent Evo transpiration, but occurs from standing water , saturated soil and vegetation
evotranspiration highest in summer - up to 80% of rain lost in driest parts of england, river flows lowest atp
carbon
in short growing
summer
season PS higher due to higher temp and longer sunlight hrs. decomposition rates are temporarily elevated so soil has more nutrients aiding plant growth
In UK, solar radiation intensity peaks mid june in SE typically 800W/m2 but in december drops to 150W/m2
northern hemisphere summer, trees at peak growth, net global flow of co2 from atmosphere to biosphere cause atmospheric levels to fall by 2PPM
Local scale (drainage basin, forest ecosystem) - open system.
Diurnal changes
lower temps at night reduce evotranspiration
convectional precipitation occurs in the daytime, mainly afternoon when temp reaches max (particularly sig on climatic regions)
during day, co2 flows from atmosphere to biosphere. but at night flux is reversed because without sunlight, PS stops and vegetation loses co2 to atmosphere