E.S.S.

Human effect on the atmosphere

Rhea Silva

Dp-1, MBIS

February, 2009

The case of missing carbon dioxide

1. What is the likely cause of the long term increase in carbon dioxide levels?

        One of the main reasons could be due to the increasing amount of the fossil fuels burnt today which contains crbon dioxide and as a result releases carbon dioxide upon combustion.

2. Explain the term ‘carbon sink’.

        ‘Carbon sink’ is a place where carbon dioxide is absorbed or stored.

3. What evidence is given in the passage that the missing carbon dioxide ended up in the northern hemisphere?

        “There is good evidence that the missing carbon went north of the equator. A much higher volume of carbon dioxide is released in the northern hemisphere, but the concentration of carbon dioxide is the same in the northern hemisphere as it is in the southern hemisphere.

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4. How can tree-ring data be used to provide evidence of the changing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations?

        Trees absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and convert the carbon dioxide into wood. A trees’ growth is shown through its annual rings, with the width of ring indicating the amount of growth. Growth may be proportional to the air’s carbon dioxide concentration in any year. We can age a tree by counting its rings, and the width of the rings can help us to estimate the carbon dioxide in the past years.

5. What does the passage suggest may be limiting ...

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