Explain some of the ways in which carbon is stored and released in the environment

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: The carbon cycle is the movement of carbon among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere as a result of processes such as photosynthesis and respiration, sedimentation, weathering, and fossil-fuel combustion.

Growing plants take carbon out of the atmosphere. When forests are cut down, most of the carbon in the trees is released to the atmosphere, through decomposition or perhaps fire. In many parts of the world, especially the humid tropics, deforestation and urban development are reducing carbon storage in the biosphere and sending the carbon to the atmosphere. But in other areas, such as the eastern United States, forest area is actually increasing, and young forests are growing, storing carbon in the process.

Similarly, when undeveloped lands are first converted to agriculture, there is usually a loss of organic matter and thus carbon from the soil, but later that carbon can be replaced if the soils are allowed to recover. Presently, evidence indicates that deforestation is causing large transfers of carbon to the atmosphere, but we also know that in some parts of the world there are large amounts of carbon being absorbed by the biosphere.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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What is density dependence?

What will be an ideal response?

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The scientist who espoused the relationship E ~ f was

A. Albert Einstein. B. Isaac Newton. C. Thomas Young. D. all of the above

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the benefits of Bt corn?

A) Because it contains a certain gene removed from a soil bacterium, Bt corn is immune to the European corn borer. B) Bt corn is resistant to the pesticide Bt, so farmers growing Bt corn can use Bt on the weeds in their cornfields without it harming their crop. C) Bt corn produces increased yields because it is resistant to infection from the Bt virus that lives in agricultural soils. D) Although Bt corn has its benefits, the use of Bt corn runs the risk of pests becoming immune to its toxins.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Surface mining is ________ dangerous than underground mining, it is also ________ environmentally damaging

Fill in the blank(s) with correct word

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences