6. Describe the carbon cycle and how humans have impacted this and affecte globa
ID: 267140 • Letter: 6
Question
6. Describe the carbon cycle and how humans have impacted this and affecte global warming by answering the following questions (8 points): A) What role do cellular respiration and photosynthesis play in this process? How do they change (if at all) throughout the seasons in the northern hemisphere? (2 points) B) What are fossil fuels and how do they impact the climate? (2 points) C) How does carbon dioxide in the atmosphere impact global temperature? Be sure to briefly mention what type of gas it is and how that impacts temperature. (2 points) D) What role do afforestation and deforestation play in the carbon cycle? How do these processes affect the climate? (2 points)Explanation / Answer
A. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis:
During cellular respiration animals use oxygen from air and release carbon dioxide. Plants during photosynthesis use carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Plants use atmospheric carbon dioxide to prepare sugars, fat and proteins.
Animals which eat plants, or animals which eat other animals, get sugars, fats and proteins derived from the ingested biomass.
Energy is got from the food through the process called cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration requires oxygen the product of photosynthesis and it produces carbon dioxide which is used up during photosynthesis by plants.
Overall process of cellular respiration:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 ? 6CO2 + 6H2O
Glucose oxygen carbondioxide water
Overall process of photosynthesis:
6CO2 + 6H2O ? C6H12O6+ 6O2
Carbon dioxide water glucose oxygen
Seasonal fluctuations of CO2 in northern hemisphere:
During spring and summer the plants photosynthesis takes place largely and so they use carbon dioxide from atmosphere and the level of CO2 decreases.
This occurs during the month of MAY.
When winter arrives, the plants photosynthesis reduces to save energy and release of Carbon dioxide by animals, plants and bacteria dominates and there is increase in the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere.
B. Fossil fuels:
Fossil fuels are fuel formed by natural process called decomposing. The dead plant and animals are decomposed by anaerobic micro organisms. This process takes millions of years.
Fossil fuels are petroleum, coal, natural gas etc.,
Impact on atmosphere:
Man uses fossil fuels for industry and vehicles. Burning of fossil fuels releases high amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere which cause increase in global warming.
C. Carbon dioxide and Global warming:
Green house effect:
The green house effect increases the global warming by trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere. The green house gases in the atmosphere absorb and redirect the heat back to earth.
Green house gases: CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases.
D. Deforestation:
Deforestation is the process of cutting down the trees for various needs of humans.
Trees and plants balance the level of carbon in the atmosphere through the process photosynthesis. When the trees are cut the level of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, this increases the green house effect and there is increase in the global warming.
Afforestation:
Afforestation is the process of developing a forest in a place where there is no forest.
Afforestation would help trees in using the atmospheric carbon during photosynthesis and reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Afforestation would increase the rainfall and decrease drought.
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