Questions tagged [carbon-cycle]
Questions about the absorption and release of carbon due to natural biogeochemical processes, and human interactions with the carbon cycle.
67
questions
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2answers
148 views
When would the earth run out of carbon dioxide without man made climate change?
One of my friends told me quite seriously that Gaia had evolved humans to burn the fossil fuels and thus stop the earth running out of CO2.
Leaving aside the obvious nonsense it did raise an ...
3
votes
0answers
140 views
Atmospheric $\ce{CO2}$ fell at a Pleistocene interglacial-glacial transition. Ocean absorption vs biosphere absorption
CO2 levels fell during the last interglacial-glacial transition until the Last Glacial Maximum in the Pleistocene.
I can think of two causes for the reduction of CO2:
Ocean absorption. The ...
3
votes
1answer
137 views
Is it possible to convert carbon dioxide into a solid at low cost?
Is it possible to reduce the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere by converting it into a solid, thus reducing the level of greenhouse gases?
2
votes
1answer
70 views
For a tree over its entire existence, does it actually have a net negative effect on atmospheric CO2?
A tree while alive converts CO2 + water -> carbohydrates + O2. However, once the tree dies, it decays, releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere. My question is, over an individual tree's overall ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views
Forest fuel biochar burial
Record fires are blazing in the west coast, huge even compared to California's notorious summers.
Dead plants and debris are crucial to get a fire started. This debris could be collected, carbonized, ...
-3
votes
1answer
82 views
Are rainbows a reaction from earths natural release of gas after a rain? [closed]
In my studies, Ive dropped a limestone or porous stone into water, with salt and sugar.
The results where an impressive light show of color flashes.
With the Earths natural release of gas, these ...
4
votes
1answer
113 views
How does the act of producing animal feed from the leftovers of a process result in a negative carbon footprint? [closed]
According to this source, it is claimed that (emphasis is mine)
At Arbikie Distillery in Angus, scientists claim to have developed the world's first "climate positive" gin. By using garden ...
3
votes
1answer
146 views
How much of the petroleum ever formed has made it into reservoir rocks?
I am aware that it's a bit general a question, and petroleum geology (or petrology ;-)) has never been a field of interest to me. A superficial search using related keywords brings up only economic ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
CO2 probe measuring at temperatures up to 150 °C [closed]
I'm looking for a $CO_2$ measuring probe (analog current output, digital out: RS232/485 - probe will be connected and transferring real time data to the data logger) that would operate up to 150 °C (...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
Is CO2 in the Pacific Ocean depleted or enriched in Carbon-13 compared to the Atlantic, and why?
Due to thermohaline circulation, the Pacific water is more 'aged' so there is a higher amount of total dissolved inorganic carbon (e.g. CO2) in the deep Pacific when compared to the Atlantic. However, ...
3
votes
2answers
123 views
How do the slow and fast carbon cycles influence climate change?
I understand that the slow and fast carbon cycles are involved in the transport and storing of carbon, but how much of an influence do each of these cycles have on climate change, and how?
2
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0answers
54 views
Ocean Acidification - The effect of CO2 concentration on the pH of the ocean [duplicate]
I'm confused about how increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere affects the pH of the ocean.
The increase in CO2 concentration means the pH of the ocean will decrease (by several chemical rxns). ...
4
votes
1answer
280 views
The effect of CO2 concentration on the pH of the ocean
I'm confused about how increased $\ce{CO2}$ concentration in the atmosphere affects the pH of the ocean.
The increase in $\ce{CO2}$ concentration means the pH of the ocean will decrease (by several ...
7
votes
4answers
254 views
Where did all the CO₂ come from that was deposited as coal during the Carboniferous?
During the Carboniferous, vast deposits of coal (or peat at that time) were created because – as far as I understand – decomposition of wood (white rot?) was not yet "invented" at that time. This ...
1
vote
4answers
640 views
Can anyone explain the reason why CO$_2$ increases global temperatures (not the simplistic greenhouse analogy provided for public consumption)?
The greenhouse effect analogy of global warming is that atmospheric carbon dioxide CO$_2$ absorbs some of the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, and redirects a portion of that radiation back ...
3
votes
1answer
157 views
Is the ocean a carbon sink when considering only the biospheric component?
Most people knows that the ocean overall is a carbon sink, but a big part of the sink is due to chemical equilibrium (via dissolution) with the atmosphere (for ref: https://link.springer.com/article/...
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vote
0answers
142 views
About climate sensitivity of carbon dioxide: today compared with PETM
Due to IPCC the climate sensitivity of CO₂ very likely is 3.0 ± 1.5 ℃ for each doubling of the concentration of atmospheric CO₂.
Counting on earlier global warming using the Arrhenius formula [ΔT=λ·...
2
votes
0answers
102 views
How does extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contribute to radiative forcing?
The CO2 absorption spectrum taken at 200 mmHg partial pressure, beam path length = 10 cm, resolution = 4 cm^-1 shows that light can only travel a couple hundred meters before being completely absorbed ...
2
votes
5answers
411 views
If planting trees is ineffective to tackle climate change, why do people plant them?
I've read answers that outline how if we afforested large (continental-scale) masses of land, it would do little in the way of tackling climate change. While it would sequester $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ ...
2
votes
1answer
75 views
What is the total mass of organic carbon on Earth?
What is the estimated total mass of organic carbon plus elemental carbon (defined here as all carbon in any chemical form, minus carbon dioxide, inorganic carbonates, and other fully oxidized carbon ...
2
votes
1answer
213 views
Could we sequester CO$_2$ by dumping forests in deep oceans?
We know that trees are the most efficient "tool" we have to get CO$_2$ out of the air, but the problem is that most of their fixated CO$_2$ will naturally reenter the carbon cycle through ...
4
votes
2answers
153 views
Is the net amount of CO2 sequestered by trees from the atmosphere simply related to the mass of new growth?
My simplistic model for the carbon cycle was that plants (or trees in particular) photosynthesise and transpire. The former takes up $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ and $\small\mathsf{H_2O}$ and the latter does ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
Net fluxes of carbon caused by humans
The current and future amount of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere is what currently concerns and occupies many people.
I am looking for a big picture of ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
What would be the extent of the feedback on climate of unattended deaths event?
Being given that decaying corpses will stop emitting digestive metane, but would release huge amount of methane during their decaying process, I was wondering if this could be considered among the ...
2
votes
0answers
105 views
Can CO2 / greenhouse gas levels override the effects of milankovich cycles?
I understand that we are, in all likelihood, towards the end of an interglacial period (the holocene). What I'd like to know is, what has a stronger effect on global temperatures - the low point of ...
4
votes
1answer
207 views
Is “Carbon Neutral” (roughly) 5 Gt CO₂ equivalent?
One key target set out by the IPCC is to be carbon neutral by 2050. That is, the gross green house gas emissions of Humans is less than the carbon absorbed. I'm struggling to find a good source for ...
3
votes
1answer
192 views
Why doesn't Earth absorb our carbon emissions?
If we look at the carbon cycle, we see that man-made carbon emission only account for a tiny fraction of all $\text{CO}_2$ emissions.
However, we see a steady rise in atmospheric $\text{CO}_2$-levels....
5
votes
2answers
776 views
Why did the carboniferous period have so much atmospheric oxygen?
Even if all the carbon dioxide (which makes up less than 1% of the atmosphere) in the air were sequestered by plants, would the atmosphere not remain about 21% oxygen? Why did the carboniferous period ...
11
votes
1answer
320 views
Which percentage of $\text{CO}_2$ emissions are human made emissions?
I was watching a science/myth Youtube channel (science mixed with a lot of speculative/fantasy content) with 2M+ followers and the Youtuber said volcano made emissions were higher than human made ...
5
votes
1answer
73 views
Are there any consequences to carbon capture and storage that also sequesters oxygen?
A big argument for carbon capture and storage is true reversal; while switching to renewable energy and eliminating CO2 emissions is a must, it will not reverse the massive movement of carbon from ...
6
votes
2answers
343 views
What is the relevance of Arctic coastal erosion to the Earth's climate?
Due to global warming and Arctic amplification, Northern Hemispheric permafrost is thawing and becoming a source of carbon and many greenhouse gases, which then positively feedback to global warming ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Can reforestation sequester our annual carbon emissions? [duplicate]
Forests sequester and store substantial amounts of carbon every year, while each year humans emit substantial amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Is it possible for forests to sequester as much ...
2
votes
1answer
186 views
How much net carbon can coral sequester?
So I am wondering how much carbon any given coral can sequester given that carbon dioxide dissolves in water and forms carbonic acid, and coral uses that carbonic acid in their own calcification ...
6
votes
1answer
405 views
Carbon's role in ocean acidification
This might seem like a basic question, but I'm a little confused about the effects on ocean acidification of different carbon compounds.
I have heard that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
Could we plant enough trees to offset greenhouse gas emissions? [duplicate]
In 2014, the world emitted 10 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide. A 50 year old oak tree forest sequesters 30,000 pounds of CO2 per acre. At that rate of sequestration per acre, offsetting all ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
Effect of reducing conditions on melting point
I've been reading a paper(*) looking at the deep carbon cycle and it mentions a key process that the authors refer to as "redox melting". According to the paper, reducing conditions increase the ...
1
vote
2answers
726 views
Polar Ice caps are melting? Questions on enviromental impact
The polar ice caps are melting at a significant rate partly due to the albedo effect, releasing greenhouse gas-methane into earth’s atmosphere. At the same time we are logging our forests for ...
4
votes
1answer
218 views
What caused the Carbon Dioxide Variations observed in the 800,000-year polar ice record?
I have seen several graphs showing the prehistoric temperatures and CO2 concentrations derived from ice-core data. My understanding is that CO2 and temperature correlate. I assume that Milankovich ...
6
votes
2answers
149 views
Will photosynthesis based carbon sequestration always be more efficient than other chemical means - in terms of rate?
There seem to be many ideas for carbon sequestration. The problem with anything electrochemical, is that unless it is solar-based, you're putting carbon into the atmosphere at probably a great rate ...
10
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3answers
416 views
Did climate cool down when underground hydrocarbons stocks formed?
As far as I understand, the dominant theory of modern climate change says that recent warming is mainly caused by the massive burning of hydrocarbons that used to be stored in solid form mostly ...
6
votes
7answers
14k views
Does organic decay release the same CO2 as burning?
Does a fallen tree left to decay release essentially all of its stored carbon as $\small\mathsf{CO_2}$ to the atmosphere? Or is the carbon uptaken by termites and bacteria, preventing its release to ...
5
votes
1answer
536 views
Estimating the residence time of atmospheric CO2 from bomb 14C
This (rather dodgy) graph shows a number of estimates of the residence time of atmospheric CO2:
My question concerns why there is so much variation (Machta, 1974 about 3 years, Seuss and Druffe, 1983 ...
5
votes
1answer
144 views
Carbon dioxide and ocean acidification based on temperature
For our assignment, we are required to analyse and compare the $\ce{CO2}$ level (in both ocean and air) of two different sites. Theoretically, shouldn't the $\ce{CO2}$ level of a colder region (e.g., ...
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votes
2answers
608 views
Why cannot people burn all the atmospheric oxygen? [closed]
We are told that photosynthesis, developed a couple of billion years ago has produced all the atmospheric oxygen. I wonder, why did the process stop? Why do modern plants prefer to recover the entropy ...
3
votes
1answer
331 views
Is it possible that a reduction in vegetation is a cause of global warming?
A lot of people seem to believe that the entire cause of global warming is that humans are emitting lots of carbon dioxide. However, according to a source I found online (I accept it may not be ...
1
vote
0answers
66 views
Locate people by Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide levels [closed]
I've been challenged to think of some really out-of-the-box ways to locate people, and I had one. I'm 90% sure this isn't reasonably possible (probably only in laboratory settings), but I couldn't ...
15
votes
5answers
946 views
How did plants adapt to $\small\sf{CO_2}$ levels past 400k years? Why won't they do it again?
(Description from climate.nasa.gov: This graph, based on the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric $\small\sf{...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Are all natural diamonds made of organic carbon material?
I've read that diamonds are created at a depth of about 180 km. By volcanic activity it comes above. But did plants and trees of 300 million years ago sink so deep? Or is it possible that inorganic ...
2
votes
1answer
633 views
What is the distribution of global photosynthesis?
Has anyone attempted to classify global photosynthesis? For example, what percentage of it occurs over land? What percentage comes from agriculture?
Same questions for total growth of plant mass.
...
6
votes
1answer
171 views
What is the evidence it is feasible to reverse ocean acidification by adding large quantities of a base (bicarb soda)?
A commenter made the following reflection:
Ocean acidification is different than sea level rise and global warming, however. With ocean acidification, we're making an excursion unlike anything the ...
