weather variability and Climate Change Name Section PROBLEMS—PART II The followi
ID: 116393 • Letter: W
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weather variability and Climate Change Name Section PROBLEMS—PART II The following questions are based on Figures 8 and 9, charts showing the change in atmospheric car bon dioxide measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawai'i, from 1958 to April 2016. Atmospheric carbon Dioxide at Mauna Loa Observatory ET 420 RECENT MONTHLY MEAN Co, AT MAUNA LOA 400 Oceanography NOAA Scripps Earth Institution System of Research Laboratory 380 400 O 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 1960 1970 1900 1990 2000 2020 2030 2010 YEAR Figure 8: Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Figure 9: Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaiifrom January 2012 Loa Observatory, Hawai'i, from 1958 to April 2016. The dark to April 2016The dark line is the seasonally corrected line is the seasonally corrected value. (Adapted from NOAA) value. (Adapted from NOAA) 1. What is the approximate variation in CO2 concentration each year? Ppm 2. Notice that the concentration of CO, in the atmosphere reaches its highest point at the same time each year. (a) During which time of year does CO, reach its highest point? (b) the timing of the annual fluctuation in CO2 (HintThink about the What explains process of photosynthesis and plant respiration, and the locations of large forests : on Earth.) If the current trend continues, estimate when the seasonally adjusted atmospheric CO2 levels will reach 420 ppm.Explanation / Answer
1. To calculate the approximate variation each year we calculate the highest and lowest concentration of CO2 for any year. Suppose consider year 2014, in this year highest CO2 concentration was 402 ppm and lowest was 395 ppm
Thus variation is of=402-395= 7 ppm
2. a. During May generally the CO2 reaches its maximum value.
2. b. After the leaves on the trees drop in the fall, the leaf litter and other dead plant material break down throughout the winter. During this decomposition, microbes respire and produce CO2, contributing to atmospheric CO2 levels in the process. Due to this there is a steady increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. In the spring, leaves return to the trees and photosynthesis increases dramatically, drawing down the CO2 in the atmosphere. This shift between the fall and winter months to the spring and summer results in the sawtooth pattern of the Keeling Curve measurement of atmospheric CO2 such that every year there is a decline in CO2 during months of terrestrial plant photosynthesis and an increase in CO2 in months without large amounts of photosynthesis and with significant decomposition.
3. From the graph in 2012 the CO2 levels was 393 ppm and that in 2016 was 403. Thus rate = (final conc. - initial conc)/delta T
= (403-393) / 2016-2012 = 10/4 = 2.5 ppm/yr
Thus to increase 420 ppm ie to increase 17 ppm more it will take 17/2.5= 6.8 ie around 7 years.
Thus it will reach 420 ppm in 2023.
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