Environmental Science Exam 3

Why is carbon dioxide necessary for life?

• Vital greenhouse gas (regulates global temp)

• Enabling photosynthesis (allows plants to produce oxygen/food)

Greenhouse Effect

Sunlight that hits the earth is reflected, while some of it becomes heat. Co2 and other gases in the atmosphere traps the heat and keeps the earth warm.

What is average temp WITH greenhouse effect?

57 degrees

What is average temp WITHOUT greenhouse effect?

0 degrees

Natural sources of greenhouse gases

• Volcanoes

• Animal respiration (breathing)

• Decay of organic matter

• Oceans

  • Wildfires

Gases used for greenhouse effect

• Carbon dioxide

• Methane

• Tropospheric Ozone

• Nitrous Oxide

• CFC’s

• Water Vapor

Current carbon cycle/temperature

• More carbon being released than any other time in history due to fossil fuels

• Temperatures have also risen in the past 100 years

Global warming

Excess of greenhouse gas emissions, trapping heat, causing rise in temp, sea level, melting, etc.

Ozone depletion

• Caused by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s - Makes holes in the ozone layer, also a greenhouse gas)

• More UV = skin cancer + eye damage

• Worst place for this problem → Antarctica

Human cause of climate change

• Industrial carbon

• Use of fossil fuels

• Deforestation

• Burning coal

How does deforestation contribute to climate change?

Increases amount of co2 in the atmosphere by releasing stored carbon when trees are burned/decay - Forests also draw carbon dioxide from atmosphere

Coal

Organic matter (woody plant material) that is compressed under very high pressure in swamps to form dense, solid carbon structures

Oil

A mixture of hundreds of different types of hydrocarbon molecules, made from dead organic material burned in marine sediments and transformed by time/heat/pressure

Natural Gas

made of Methane (CH4) and other volatile hydrocarbons, formed from dead organic material underground, transformed by time/heat/pressure

What gases are released when burning fossil fuels?

• Carbon dioxide (most released)

• Sulfur dioxide

• Nitrogen oxide

• Water vapor

• Methane

What products do we get from fossil fuels?

• Energy

• Gasoline

• Diesel fuel/heating oil

• Plastics

• Pesticides/fertilizers

• Cosmetics, medicine, lotions, soap

• Cleaning supplies