Carbon Dioxide Lab

ENV325 Lab Reporting Form

Resource needed:

Annenberg Learner. (n.d.).  Carbon lab  [Interactive lab]. In The Habitable Planet. Retrieved from http://learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/carbon/

Assignment: Carbon Dioxide Lab

Table 1

Step 1	Gaseous Carbon	Ocean Water	Fossil Fuels	Biosphere Gaseous Carbon
To Year	Atmosphere	Ocean Surface	Deep Ocean	Oil and Gas	Coal	Soil	Terrestrial Plants
2010	720 (391 ppm)	1000	38000	500	3500	2000	700
2050
2100

*The first row has been completed for you to ensure that you are on the right track.

1. If only one half of the terrestrial plants in the world existed in 2100 due to deforestation, what do you predict will happen to the atmospheric carbon levels? Why would you predict this?

Answer =

2. In your simulation, carbon levels between 2010 and 2100 are increasing in most of the pools. Which pool(s) show a decline in carbon over this period and why?

Answer =

3. What is the relationship between an increase in fossil fuel consumption and increased carbon in terrestrial plants? How might this change flora populations?

Answer =

4. What is the relationship between an increase in atmospheric carbon concentration and increased carbon in the ocean surface? How might this change marine life populations?

Answer =

Table 2

Step 2	Gaseous Carbon	Ocean Water	Biosphere Gaseous Carbon
To Year	Atmosphere	Ocean Surface	Deep Ocean	Soil	Terrestrial Plants
2010
2050
2100

5. Without any fossil fuel consumption, which parts of the cycle have improved their carbon levels in comparison to previous data and how might these improvements alter the environment?

Answer =

Table 3

Step 3		Biosphere Gaseous Carbon
To Year	Net Deforestation Rate	Soil	Terrestrial Plants
2010	1.6 GT
2060	1.6 GT
2080	1.6 GT
2100	1.6 GT

6. By 2100, how has the terrestrial flora population changed? What affect might this change have on the environment?

Answer =

7. What is the carbon level in the soil at 2100 and how does the carbon level affect the flora populations and species variety?

Answer =

Table 4

Step 4	Tundra	Gaseous Carbon	Ocean Water	Fossil Fuels	Biosphere Gaseous Carbon
To Year	Melt Rate	Atmosphere	Ocean Surface	Deep Ocean	Oil and Gas	Coal	Soil	Terrestrial Plants
2010	1/6
2050	1/6
2100	1/6

8. How has the melting of 1/6 of the tundra had an impact on the atmospheric carbon concentration at 2100 in comparison to that found in Table 1? Based on these values, is a melting tundra a positive or negative feedback for global climate change?

Answer =

REFERENCES

List any sources that you utilized to answer the questions in proper APA format.

Annenberg Learner. (n.d.).  Carbon lab  [Interactive lab]. In The Habitable Planet. Retrieved from http://learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/carbon/