Carbon Dioxide CO2

Wikipedia | GNU

Wikipedia | GNU

What is Carbon Dioxide?

CO2

A greenhouse gas responsible for blocking infrared radiation (heat) from striking Earth.

Remember the other GHG’s: Water Vapor Methane Nitrous Oxide Ozone

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Where is CO2 found?

Mostly in troposphere

Recall that the composition of the troposphere 78.09% nitrogen 20.95% oxygen 0.93% argon 0.039% carbon dioxide small amounts of other trace

gasesNASA

The Carbon Cycle

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NATURAL ANTHROPOGENIC

(HUMAN)

Plant & animal respiration

Ocean-atmosphere exchange (both)

Volcanic eruptions (small rocks from deep in Earth’s crust)

Photosynthesis

Fossil Fuel combustion

Industrial production processes

CO2 capture and storage deep under ground

Deforestation

Sources and Sinks of CO2

CO2 Concentration vs. Year

NOAA

What are ppm?Let’s put it into perspective … Here are a few examples of 1 ppm

One 3 oz. candy bar on a football field

One automobile in bumper-to-bumper traffic from Cleveland to San Francisco (~2500 miles)

Parts per million

Unit used to describe dilute solutions in chemistry

In this case, CO2 is the solute and the atmosphere is the solvent

Ppm is used because the concentrations of GHG’s is very small

CO2 Concentration from 400,000 Years Ago

Wikipedia | Robert A Rohde

Ice Core Data

Scientists can analyze differences in ice layers and the chemicals trapped in air bubbles in the ice to piece together the planet's climate history.

Ice cores and other indirect measurement objects are called proxies

NOAA accessed via Wikipedia

Why do we care about CO2?

NOAA

Recall that CO2 is a greenhouse gas

It acts as a blanket to trap in heat

This can lead to an increase in temperature

©1997-2011 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. All Rights Reserved

CO2 Distribution for 2004

Courtesy of NOAA

Current Research

Lean, Judith. “Living with a Variable Sun.” Physics Today v. 58 no. 6 (June 2005) pg. 36

What if … ?• We as people of Earth

stopped burning fossil fuels?

• Would the amount of CO2 decrease immediately and therefore would the temperature decrease?

What if … ?• The temperature just started

to decrease without any reduction in CO2 emissions?

• Could we then say that the temperature increase we observed was strictly due to a natural temperature cycle and had nothing to do with CO2 emissions?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Leading international body for the assessment of climate change.

Established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Provides the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.

Reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.

It does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters.

Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis

CO2 ProjectionsPossible CO2 emissions projections which limit the global temperature increase to 2˚C

Based on emitting 750 Gtons of CO2 between 2010-2050

Carbon Dioxide Concentration Simulation

The Copenhagen Diagnosis, 2009: Updating the world on the Latest Climate Science (1st Edition). I. Allison, N. L. Bindoff, R.A. Bindschadler, P.M. Cox, N. de Noblet, M.H. England, J.E. Francis, N. Gruber, A.M. Haywood, D.J. Karoly, G. Kaser, C. Le Quéré, T.M. Lenton, M.E. Mann, B.I. McNeil, A.J. Pitman, S. Rahmstorf, E. Rignot, H.J. Schellnhuber, S.H. Schneider, S.C. Sherwood, R.C.J. Somerville, K.Steffen, E.J. Steig, M. Visbeck, A.J. Weaver. The University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre(CCRC), Sydney, Australia, 60pp.

OCO-2

NASA satellite which will make precise time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric CO2

Launch is expected February 2013

NASA

IN ORDER TO REDUCE CO 2 EMISSIONS, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES MUST BE USED

WHY DON’T WE JUST SWITCH EVERYTHING OVER TO SOLAR OR WIND RIGHT NOW?

Alternative Sources for Energy

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• EARTH’S CLIMATE ALWAYS HAS AND CURRENTLY IS CHANGING

• CO 2 EMISSIONS HAVE INCREASED BECAUSE OF HUMANS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

• GLOBAL TEMPERATURE IS CURRENTLY INCREASING

• CAUSE OF CURRENT CHANGE:• Natural?• Anthropogenic?• Both?

For Your Consideration

Let’s Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

For tomorrow:bring in your households most recent gas, electric, or oil bill(s)