Transcript The Carbon Cycle

Chemistry Basics
• Elements  a unique type of atom
• There are 92 natural elements occurring
on earth
• The study of elements needed for life is
called organic chemistry or biochemistry
• The essential elements for life are MACRO
Carbon
Magnesium
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sulfur
Calcium
chlorophyll and enzymes
Hydrogen
Oxygen for carbohydrates
Amino Acids and proteins
ATP and ADP
enzymes
amino acids and proteins
membrane function
Bio-geochemical Cycles
• Bio-geochemical cycle refers to the
elements that move from geosphere to
biosphere and back to geosphere.
• Each cycle may have a corresponding
link in the atmosphere and hydrosphere
• Most important 4 are the following:
Carbon cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Phosphorus cycle
Water cycle
The Carbon Cycle
• Carbon is an essential element for all life
• Carbon is the 4th most abundant
element in the universe.
• It is the element that anchors all life.
• All organic compounds contain Carbon
• The Carbon cycle begins in the
atmosphere as CO2.
Two Cycles:
Long Term and Short term
Long Term  Geological
• Geological cycle begins
with the birth of earth.
• Initial carbon came with
the earth and meteors.
• Carbon was present in
atmosphere as C02
through volcanism.
• Carbon combined with
elements in earth’s crust
to create minerals like
calcium carbonate.
• Carbon erodes from this
storage into oceans.
Short Term Cycle
• Starts at CO2 in the
atmosphere
• Plants photosynthesis to
convert carbon into
carbohydrates
• Consumer’s eat
• Both plants and
animals use energy
through cellular
respiration and return
carbon to the air
• Decay returns carbon
to the ocean and soil.
How Industry Influences
Carbon Cycle
Fossil Fuels
• Fossil fuels are old plants
and animals that have
decayed after millions of
years.
• The carbon comes from
the organisms that died
• Coal is a type of fossil fuel
just from plants
• The carbon is a long term
storage.
• Releasing the carbon puts
it back in the atmosphere
What We Burn the Most
Where Does CO2 Come From
Carbon Yearly and Seasonal
The US and Greenhouse
Emissions
• Greenhouse gases emitted by the
United States are from the following :
– Carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels,
respiration
– Methane (CH4) from cows, landfills,
melting permafrost
– Nitrous oxide (N2O) from fossil fuels,
volcanoes
– Water vapor (H2O) natural steam /
evaporation.
The Transportation & Industry
Sectors Emit the Greatest Amount
Greenhouse Emission per Country
Greenhouse Gas Emission
Carbon
• When analyzing the carbon
cycle scientists refer to the
storage and release as either a
sink or source.
• Source: where carbon is given
off/emitted
• Sink: where carbon is stored
– Short term sinks = animals,
plants, top soil
– Long term = deep ocean,
rainforest, deep soils and
rocks, fossils
Balancing Carbon:
Sources vs. Sinks
Sources  ways it gets
into atmosphere
• Natural sources:
– Forest fires
– Volcanoes
– Respiration
• Anthropogenic Sources:
– Transportation
– Slash and burn
– Deforestation
– Energy usage
– Warming planet
• From ocean
• From rocks
Sinks  places to store
• Forests
• Grasslands
• Ocean  especially
deep oceans
• Deep in forest soils
Major Components of the
Atmosphere
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Argon
Methane
Water vapor
Nitrogen oxide
Sulfur oxide
Atmospheric dust
How the Atmosphere
Influences Climate
• The atmosphere acts as a protective bubble
surrounding our planet
• Protects against gamma rays and X rays
• Protects us from large temperature changes
with the green house gases
• Also causes our sky to be blue by refracting
sunlight
• Causes the water cycle
Green House Effect
Too many
carbon
sources!
Methane in Permafrost &
Ocean Acidification
Ocean Acidification
• Ocean acidification happens when
atmosphere CO2 is dissolved in the
seawater, increasing the acidity (lower pH)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7933589.stm
What’s the big deal?
• Increased ocean
acidity causes
countless problems for
marine plants and
animals.
• It is particularly
influential on shellfish
and corals because
they are losing the
ability to create the
exoskeletons they live
in with increasing
ocean acidity.
http://www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/kids/impacts/signs/acidity.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7933589.stm
Acid Test: The Global Challenge
of Ocean Acidification
Video on ocean acidification 
Guided notes to go along
1.
Up to one half of the
carbon dioxide
(CO2) released by
burning fossil fuels
over the past 200
years has been
absorbed by the
world's oceans
3.
2.
Absorbed CO2 in seawater (H2O)
forms carbonic acid (H2CO3),
lowering the water's pH level and
making it more acidic
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7933589.stm
This raises the hydrogen
ion concentration in the
water, and limits
organisms' access to
carbonate ions, which
are needed to form
hard parts
Methane
• What is it?
– Methane is an odorless, colorless
flammable gas. It is used primarily as fuel
to make heat and light. It is also used to
manufacture organic chemicals.
Methane can be formed by the decay of
natural materials and is common in
landfills, marshes, septic systems and
sewers.
Where does it come from?
Natural
Livestock
 Wetlands (very  Domesticated
little to no
livestock dump
oxygen)
large quantities
of methane into
 Anaerobic
Decomposition the
atmosphere.
 Vegetation
 20% of global
 Termites
methane
 Oceans
emissions
Industrial
 Annual
emissions
around 320
million tons
 Burning of oil,
coal, natural
gas, biomass.
 Waste & landfills
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Methane?topic=49554
Wetland Anaerobic
Decomposition
Livestock
Industrial/Anthropogenic
Story of Stuff
• http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/
Permafrost & Methane
• Below the permafrost at the poles, anaerobic
decomposition releases methane that remains trapped
underneath the frozen permafrost.
• As global temperatures continue to rise, more and more of
this permafrost is melting, allowing that once trapped
methane to escape into the atmosphere.
Methane
pockets
(hydrates)
below the
permafrost are
locked up
unless the
permafrost is
perforated,
releasing the
methane.
Permafrost Melting & Drunken
Trees
Because the
Permafrost is
melting, these
“Drunken Trees”
don’t have
frozen ground to
grow their roots
into. This causes
heaving and
thawing which
makes the trees
lose stability,
making them
look “drunken”
Solutions
• Use the methane as a fuel source
– Problem: too many rivers/lakes for efficiency
• Increase the amount of grazing herbivores
on the permafrost
– This would keep the forest young and therefore
allow more of the ice/snow covered ground to
show. The light color of the ice/snow covered
ground has a high reflective quality so it would
reflect more sunlight, decreasing the
temperature and keeping the permafrost frozen.
What’s the Big Picture?
Carbon Reduction Solutions
• Reducing CO2 and CH4 emissions
benefits:
•The environment
•The economy
•Society
• Practices that benefit all three of these
are said to be sustainable.
Sustainable Development
• “Development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their
own needs.”
– Our Common Future
Three Parts of Sustainability
Healthy Environment
Healthy Economy
Healthy Society
From: http://www.sustainablemeasures.com
Is this Sustainable?
Going to a Game
How do sport games impact…
• Environment?
• Economy?
• Society?
• Can this activity be done
without causing damage in
one of these three areas?
• Can this activity be done so
that people in the future will
have the same opportunities to
do this activity?
http://www.chrisjordan.com/
Is it Sustainable?
Driving
How does driving impact the…
• Environment?
• Economy?
• Society?
• Can this activity be done without
causing damage in one of these three
areas?
• Can this activity be done so that
people in the future will have the same
opportunities to do this activity?
Is it Sustainable? Activity
Get into groups of 2 or 3 and pick
up the following:
– Large piece of paper
– Bold Marker (not permanent)
– Green sheet with chart
Individual activities
Government actions
School activities
Business products/services
Is it Sustainable?
Part One
1. With your group, choose one activity from
each category on the “Green sheet”. Circle
them if you want.
2. Under each activity, describe if this activity is
or is not socially, economically, and/or
environmentally sustainable.
• Each group will share their answers to the
questions above.
Individual activities
-Owning/using a cell phone
-Driving above the speed limit
-Eating at McDonald’s for breakfast
-Drinking bottled water at lunch
-Shopping at the Saturday farmer’s
market
Government actions
- Offering curbside trash pick-up
- Raising the fee to ride public
transportation
- Building an energy efficient
courthouse
- Building sidewalks to the local high
school from neighboring suburbs
School activities
- Hosting a Friday night high school
football game
- Going on a class field trip to the zoo
- Buying recycled paper for copiers
- Selling soft drinks in vending
machines
- Allowing students to drive offcampus for lunch
Business products/services
- Making computers
- Producing organic cotton T-shirts
- Building a 5,000 sq ft. house in the
suburbs
- Building a restaurant on a vacant lot
- Home delivery of a daily newspaper
- Raising pasture-fed beef to sell to
consumers
Sustainability Scale
Can something that is unsustainable be
altered to become more sustainable?
Is it Sustainable?
Part Two
• Chances are, each activity had a
weakness in one of the three sustainability
areas: Economy, Society, Environment
1. Below your first descriptions from part one,
explain how that activity can be changed
to satisfy all of the areas of sustainability.
(Example: Maybe it was environmentally
sound but lacked a social grasp or didn’t
help the economy, etc.)
Activity 3: Hidden Energy
Everyday Items have Carbon Footprints
Hidden Energy:
Secondary Carbon Footprints
• With your group, choose an object
from the classroom (any object)
• Use the flip-side of the poster paper to
draw/diagram the materials used to
make, market, utilize and dispose of
this object.
Hidden Energy
• Consider the following as you observe
this object:
– Raw materials
– Manufacturing
– Packaging, transport, and storage
– Marketing (advertising execs, air time)
– Use/Lifespan
– Disposal
Hidden Energy
• Finally, indicate the steps on your
diagram that use energy and
result in CO2 and/or CH4
emissions.
Hidden Energy
1. Now, view your object from the
perspective of the manufacturer and
answer the following question:
a) How can the carbon footprint of your
object be reduced?
2. Answer the same question but view
your object from the perspective of
the consumer:
a) How can the carbon footprint of your
object be reduced?
Hidden Energy In the News
• “Wal-Mart asks Suppliers to Rate Energy Use”
The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2007
• 25 – 30 companies that supply products
such as DVDs, toothpaste, soap, milk, beer,
vacuum cleaners, and soda will be asked to
measure the amount of energy used to
manufacture their products.
• The company wants to cut packaging
waste, increase fuel efficiency, and
eventually operate entirely on renewable
energy.
What does it all come down to?
• What can people do to reduce
carbon footprints, both individually
and globally?
Acknowledgements
ERP Staff
Christie Hinson, Civic Education Consortium, UNC
Terri Buckner, Office of Sustainability, UNC
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
Dana Haine, Science Educator
Environmental Resource Program,
UNC Institute for the Environment
[email protected] (919) 843-5735