1. Integrated B Midterm -study guide
Test Tuesday may 14

2. Pond system

3. Input and outputs Inputstotal50 km3/yr = Outputstotal 50 km3/yr
Stream in 12 km3/yr
Rain 38 km3/yr
Total inputs: 50 km3/yr
Outputs:
Stream out 10 km3/yr
Evaporation 40 km3/yr
Total outputs: 50 km3/yr
Inputstotal50 km3/yr = Outputstotal 50 km3/yr
-the system is balanced

4. Changes to inputs or outputs
When the inputs are greater than outputs (I>O), the system is gaining matter which is a positive systems change. When the inputs are less than the outputs (I<O), the system is losing matter which is a negative systems change.

5. When the inputs are greater than outputs (I>O), the system is gaining matter which is a positive systems change.
When the inputs are less than the outputs (I<O), the system is losing matter which is a negative systems change.
Example from the pond system:
If a beaver built a dam on the stream before the pond, the stream INPUT would decrease causing the pond to get less water and get smaller (lose matter) I<O.
To rebalance the system, you could either increase the other input, rain OR decrease the outputs, evaporation or the stream going out.
*Make sure your re-balancing the system answer is specific to the given system!

6. Know these processes and the following forms of carbon:
CO2 - carbon dioxide
C6H12O6
- Glucose (the sugar plants make)
CaCO3
-calcium carbonate (sea shells and corals)
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas)
Also: CO2 re-enters the geosphere through sedimentation (the process forming sedimentary rocks)

7. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
Name two processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
diffusion
photosynthesis
Name at least three processes that emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Volcanoes
Burning fossil fuels
Soil respiration
Respiration
Diffusion

8. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
Name a reservoir and a human-controlled process that has increased the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution (approx years ago).
Fossil fuels
Burning fossil fuels (combustion)

9. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
In the global carbon cycle, does carbon move at faster time scales through the Biosphere or through the Geosphere? Why do you think this occurs?
Biosphere
Some plants live thousands of years but rocks last for millions

10. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
Increased levels of greenhouse gases, especially CO2 directly correlate to increased temperatures. Lower levels of CO2 cause Earth’s temperatures decrease while higher levels increase Earth’s temperature. Which carbon pathway(s) has the greatest potential to warm our climate further? Why?
Burning fossil fuels:
Fossil fuels are NOT forming anymore so the carbon has no way to get back into that reservoir
(NOT burning forests/deforestation because trees can grow back)

11. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
Many countries are cutting down forests to make way for agriculture and roads. How might this practice disrupt the carbon cycle? What reservoirs and processes might be impacted? Why?
Less CO2 would be pulled out of the atmosphere and more CO2 would be released
The biosphere would be affected because it there would be less trees to take in CO2 though photosynthesis
The atmosphere would be affected because trees that were burned would release CO2 though combustions

12. Carbon Cycle follow up questions
The world's population has passed the 7 billion mark. As the population continues to increase, the need for energy will also increase. How might the increased need for energy impact the global carbon cycle? Why?
Even more fossil fuels will be burned releasing even more CO2 since more people means more energy needs

13. Carbon budget worksheet (follow up questions only, not 1-4)
Which is the largest reservoir of carbon? Which is the second largest?
First largest: sedimentary rock, second deep ocean
Which processes release carbon into the atmosphere?
Ocean to atmosphere (diffusion)
Soil to atmosphere (soil respiration)
Life on land to atmosphere (respiration)
Deforestation (biosphere to atmosphere)
Fossil fuel combustion/burning (geosphere to atmosphere)
3. Human activities release carbon into the atmosphere.

14. Carbon budget worksheet
Which processes remove carbon from the atmosphere? Which of these processes is the fastest?
Atmosphere to ocean – diffusion (105 Gt/yr)
Atmosphere to life on land – photosynthesis (110 Gt/yr)
Photosynthesis, atmosphere to life on land is fastest

15. Carbon budget worksheet
Which process in this activity is so long that it is not considered part of the cycle in our diagram?
Sedimentation in the rock cycle

16. Carbon budget worksheet
What percentage of the total carbon in the land, ocean, and atmosphere (excluding the sedimentary rocks) is in the atmosphere?
Reservoir
Carbon in Gt
Ocean surface
1,000
Ocean life 6
Organic material in ocean
Deep ocean water
38,000
Ocean sediments
3,000
Sedimentary rocks
100,000,000
Soil
1,600
Fossil fuels
4,000
Living land organisms
600
Atmosphere
750
Atmosphere carbon (750 Gt)
_________________________
Total carbon on Earth (49,956 Gt)
= 1.5%

17. Carbon budget worksheet
What percentage of the total carbon in the land, ocean, and atmosphere (excluding the sedimentary rocks) is in the atmosphere?
Considering this answer, why is the level of carbon in the atmosphere considered so important?
Carbon dioxide regulates Earth’s temperature so even small changes can have a large impact on global climate.
Atmosphere carbon (750 Gt)
_________________________
Total carbon on Earth (49,956 Gt)
= 1.5%

18. Carbon budget worksheet
Scientists monitoring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere estimate that of the 7.1 Gt of carbon dioxide released annually by human activities, approximately 3.2 Gt remain there. Another 2 Gt diffuse into the ocean. How many Gt of carbon are unaccounted for? What are some of the hypotheses to explain what happens to this missing carbon?
7.1 Gt geosphere – 3.2 Gt atmosphere – 2.0 Gt hydrosphere leaves 1.9 Gt
The only sphere not accounted for is the biosphere which could be taking it in through photosynthesis.

19. Proxy data Proxy data is the evidence used to re-create past climates
It is important to use proxy data from different parts of the world to show that there were global climate changes going on and not just changes in one area
It is important to use many types of proxy data to build stronger evidence for what past climates were like.

20. Since present time has a CO2 peak, the glacial periods must be valleys.
The valleys show ice ages at:
21,000 years ago
160,000 years ago
260,000 years ago and
355,000 years ago
Do NOT just memorize these!
This is a 450,000 set of data, changes in smaller time periods may be hard to see in this one proxy alone which is why using more than one proxy is critical!