AOSC200 MIDTERM
AOSC 200 Fall 2011 Key Topics to Study for the Final Exam
What is the carbon dioxide and hydrologic cycles? What are the sources and sinks of each?
Carbon Dioxide Cycle: How carbon is recycled through the atmosphere
- Maximum CO2 in the Spring and minimum in the Fall because Spring comes right after winter. Therefore, all the plants that died during the Winter are not taking in CO2 for photosynthesis. Because these plants are not taking in CO2 there is more of it in the atmosphere. However, throughout the Spring and Summer these plants grow and develop and begin to take in more CO2 from the atmosphere (as they start to undergo photosynthesis) again leading to minimal levels of CO2 in the Fall.
- Increase of CO2 concentration over time because of increased burning of fossil fuels
- Carbon cycles through ecosystems. Plants take in CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis in order to make sugars. Animals then get carbon from eating plants or eating other animals (that eat plants) and when these animals respire they give off CO2.
When these same animals produce waste, they are putting carbon-based material back into the environment. Then decomposers, which also give off CO2, eat this material.
Sometimes, remains become fossilized, forming carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil, and gas and when these are burned they release CO2 back into the atmosphere.
- Sources: volcanoes, plant/animal respiration, plant decay, burning of fossil fuels, deforestation - Sinks: Plant photosynthesis, oceans, carbonates
Hydrologic Cycle: The continuous exchange of water amongst reservoirs
- "Reservoirs" constitute the hydrosphere
- Reservoirs: oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, the atmosphere, living tissue
- Hydrologic cycle is power by energy from the sun
- causes: evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, run-off to the sea
- Begins with evaporation of water from earth's surface (especially oceans)
- As moist air is lifted, it cools and the water
What is the carbon dioxide and hydrologic cycles? What are the sources and sinks of each?
Carbon Dioxide Cycle: How carbon is recycled through the atmosphere
- Maximum CO2 in the Spring and minimum in the Fall because Spring comes right after winter. Therefore, all the plants that died during the Winter are not taking in CO2 for photosynthesis. Because these plants are not taking in CO2 there is more of it in the atmosphere. However, throughout the Spring and Summer these plants grow and develop and begin to take in more CO2 from the atmosphere (as they start to undergo photosynthesis) again leading to minimal levels of CO2 in the Fall.
- Increase of CO2 concentration over time because of increased burning of fossil fuels
- Carbon cycles through ecosystems. Plants take in CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis in order to make sugars. Animals then get carbon from eating plants or eating other animals (that eat plants) and when these animals respire they give off CO2.
When these same animals produce waste, they are putting carbon-based material back into the environment. Then decomposers, which also give off CO2, eat this material.
Sometimes, remains become fossilized, forming carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil, and gas and when these are burned they release CO2 back into the atmosphere.
- Sources: volcanoes, plant/animal respiration, plant decay, burning of fossil fuels, deforestation - Sinks: Plant photosynthesis, oceans, carbonates
Hydrologic Cycle: The continuous exchange of water amongst reservoirs
- "Reservoirs" constitute the hydrosphere
- Reservoirs: oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, the atmosphere, living tissue
- Hydrologic cycle is power by energy from the sun
- causes: evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, run-off to the sea
- Begins with evaporation of water from earth's surface (especially oceans)
- As moist air is lifted, it cools and the water