The Carbon Cycle - Essay Example

GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE Introduction One of the main formidable problems facing the twenty first century science is foreseeing the planets ecosystem response to global changes of climate. Even though, the world carbon cycle performs a profound function in controlling the atmospheric levels of CO2 and, therefore, the climate of the globe, people’s comprehension of the interconnected process of biology that trigger the cycle remain scanty. The capturing, storing and releasing of carbon by the ecosystems is extensively dependent on the nature of the impacts of the changing conditions of climate on organisms process that constitute the Earth’s biosphere. Enhancing the understanding of biological aspects of the world carbon cycle is significant in foretelling possible effects of climate change, estimating the viability of adaptation to change in climate, and strategies of mitigation as well as informing crucial policy choices. Discussion Extensive understanding is required into the function of bacterial organisms in various crucial activities of the carbon circulation. In various cases, such microbial facilitated processes are lowly reflected in the models of the carbon cycle that may hinder predictive ability and resolution scale, (Cowie, 2007, p.43). Reduction of black boxes will need creative approaches directed at connecting in operational and practical microbial community attributes with qualitative measurement of the process of the carbon cycle. Carbon is an extremely critical element, as it constitutes organic matter that is a crucial aspect on all forms of life. Carbon assumes a critical path on ecosystem - the carbon flow or cycle, (Kondratʹev, Krapivin and Varotsos, 2003, p.32). Therefore, through tracing the carbon cycle route, scientist can study flows of energy on the earth because some of the chemical life requirement is found in organic matter as bonds between atoms of carbon and other atoms. The carbon circulation mainly entails land carbon cycles and marine flow. The aquatic cycle entails the flow of carbon elements via marine environments while the terrestrial cycle involves the flow of carbon via terrestrial environments. Atmospheric CO2 originates from various sources such as natural and human activities. CO2 and other natural gases (greenhouse gases) in the air absorb earth’s radiation, taking up atmospheric heat and leading to earth atmospheric warming, (Archer, 2010, p.21). Even though, a greenhouse also functions by taking up sun energy, the physical processes involved are different. The cycle of carbon is anchored on CO2 occurring in gaseous form in the air ad dissolved in water. Terrestrial lives utilize CO2 from the air to produce oxygen that supports life of animals. Aquatic lives similarly produce oxygen and utilize CO2 from water bodies. O2 is emitted via photosynthesis activity, (Fasham, 2003, p,11). During this process, oxygen emitters such as plant species transfer CO2 and water into dense compounds of starch under the effect of heat from the sun. Only plant species and certain bacteria have the capacity to drive photosynthesis process due to the presence of chlorophyll – found in plant leaves that can absorb energy from the sun. The resulting O2 is crucial to sustain non-producing and consumer forms of life like animal species and other microorganisms. Animals are labeled consumers since they consume plants produced O2. Consumer breathing process returns CO2 back into the air. This released CO2 decompose glucose and some complex organic elements and convert break down carbon into CO2 for producers reuse, (University of Columbia, 2000, p.1). Carbon is utilized by cycles of users, manufacturers and decomposers faster via the atmosphere, water sources and ecosystem. However, carbon is also kept in tree roots and other organic compounds as biomass for several years. The decomposition activities emit the stored carbon and send it to the air. Under some conditions, dead plant elements buildups rapidly than they are broken down within an environment. The residues are entombed in the underneath deposits. Resultantly, when sentiment layers constrict these elements, fossil fuels form, after several years. Long-standing geological activities may uncover the carbon compounds in such fuels to the atmosphere after prolonged periods, but, in the actual way, fossil fuel carbon is discharged during the processes of humane combustion. Decomposed plants fuels combustion provides energy to humanity. However, the global human population has been increasing and so has been their need for more energy, this has led to extensive fossil fuel combustion, (Field and Raupach, 2004, p.76). Consequently, because people are combusting fossil fuel faster than their development, fossil fuel has turned out to be a non-renewable energy resource. Even though, fossil fuel burning increased atmospheric CO2, some of CO2 is released from natural activities including volcanic eruptions. In the aquatic environment, CO2 can be kept in residues and rocks. It takes a prolonged period for CO2 to be released back through rocks withering or processes of geology, which exposes deposits to the water surface, (Kondratʹev, Krapivin and Varotsos, 2003, p.76). Stored CO2 in water will be pressed as either carbonated ions or bicarbonate ions. Such ions are a crucial aspect of natural buffers, which impede water from attaining extremely acidic or basic state. When sunlight heats up water, these ions go back to air as CO2. Ecological scientists suggest that carbon is a cornerstone of life forms. This is because of living organisms are made of compounds such as O2, hydrogen, atmospheric nitrogen and others. Of these elements, carbon plays a crucial role in that it combines with other compounds to form vital elements for life, including carbohydrates, protein molecules and fats. Collaborative, such carbon forms represent about half of the entire living organism dry mass, (Wigley and Schimel, 2000, p.78). Carbon pools and influxes Carbon compounds can be found in carbon pools, which include soils, water bodies and earth crust. When observing the planet as a system, such elements can be labeled as pools of carbon (carbon reservoirs and stocks) since they function as storage facilities for extensive carbon amounts. Carbon flux represents carbon cycle between such pools. In an integrated system, carbon fluxes link pools together to form cycles and responses, (Stern, 2002, p. 42). On a global sense, these procedures move extensive carbon amounts from one reservoir to another (atmosphere to plants). With time, plants die, and rot, are gathered by people or combusted in wildfire or burned to produce energy. Such processes represent fluxes, which cycle carbon between multifaceted reservoirs within the environment and finally emit it back to the air. Taking the earth as an entity, certain cycles such as these are connected to others – like oceans and rocks – on temporal and spatial scales to create a collaborative global cycle of carbon. CO2 or greenhouse gas and this imply that increasing amounts of CO2 lead to global warming. Human functions emit extensive CO2 amounts during combustion procedures and consequently, the greenhouse effect occurs. The greenhouse impact implies that global climatic conditions are influenced by greenhouse gases concentration on the planet. In the recent past, global warming has occurred because of increased CO2 and other greenhouse emissions amounts released from human activities, (Hanson, Ducklow and Field, 2000, p.67). Global warming cause challenges like dissolving of extensive formations of ice at the Arctic. Similarly, carbon flow has extensive impact on the function and existence of the earth. Globally, the cycle performs a crucial function in adjusting the climatic conditions of the planet by managing CO2 concentration in the air. CO2 is fundamental as it leads to the greenhouse impact. The greenhouse impact occurs as a natural process and, without it, the globe would experience extremely colder climate. In the recent past, carbon dioxide has attracted considerable attention as its atmospheric concentration has increased to about thirty percent above the usual levels and is expected to enhance in the coming years. Similarly, studies have suggested that this rise is attributable to human activities in the last hundred and fifty years, such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, (Kawahata and Awaya, 2006, p.27). For instance, since 19th century (industrial revolution era) atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by thirty percent. This accounts for increased fossil fuel burning that started with the increase of transportation and industrialization practices. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, the rise is thought to cause an increase in global temperatures. In fact, this is the main cause of change in global climate and the primary reason for emerging concerns in the carbon flow or movement. Since geological antiquity of the planet, carbon has always been cycled between extensive land reservoirs or stocks (such as fossil fuel, plants and others), atmosphere and ocean reservoirs. This natural carbon dioxide movement takes various years to transfer increasing amounts from system to system. The carbon stocks of the earth serves as sources –increasing carbon amounts in the air- and sinks – eliminating carbon elements from the air. Carbon flow strikes a stability state (equilibrium) when the carbon elements and sinks are the same. Sustaining a steady carbon dioxide level in the air aids sustain constant average temperatures at a world scale. Nevertheless, since combustion of fossil fuels and clearing forests has heightened carbon dioxide emissions to the air without balancing rises in the ultimate sinks that reduce carbon dioxide from the air (trees and oceans), these processes have resulted to expansion of the atmospheric carbon stock, (Mitchell, 2012, p.49). This has contributed to current carbon dioxide buildup and is predicted to lead to the experienced trend of rising earth temperatures. The level of carbon increase, in the years to come, depends on the amount of carbon dioxide human beings continue to emit, and the predicted carbon consumption and accommodation by the ultimate sinks and pools of the ecosystem. Otherwise, it anchors s on the circulation of carbon. To comprehend carbon cycle and future changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, scientists and geologists must study carbon pools, their length of existence and processes that cycle carbon from one reservoir to the next (fluxes). Together, the main carbon stocks and fluxes in the globe consist of world carbon cycle, (Trabalka and Reichle, 2006, p.52). Experts agree that the natural global cycle of carbon is extensively complex. Similarly, the global carbon cycle comprise of all plants, animal species and bacteria, all photosynthesizing foliage and dead trees, water bodies such as dams, puddles and seas, all soils, deposits and carbon containing rocks, atmospheric pressure and volcanic eruptions, (Stern, 2002, p.112). Since human beings cannot deal with such complexity levels, geologists always explain the carbon movement by combining similar aspects or ecosystems into easier categories (such as forest, air, seas and grasslands) and concentrating on the activities that are extremely critical at the world scale. Even though, carbon dioxide is undeniably increasing in the air, the rate of accumulation is lower than the rate of emission and the disparity is hard to account for via current estimates of consumption by land and seas. Scientists are investigating the main hypothesis that carbon consuming trees and other environments are higher than the earlier estimates, and that accumulation of carbon in soils and species of plants has limited the atmosphere from rising at an extensive pace, (Heimann, 1993, p.90). However, the cause of disagreement remains as to why current estimates are increasingly reduced and where in the globe’s environments is the remaining carbon emitted. This controversy has an extensive deal of study on ecological factors of carbon flow and is a crucial trigger for some of studies in global carbon cycle investigations. Conclusion In conclusion, therefore, the global carbon cycle understanding is crucial in the environment because it transfers carbon, a life-supporting component, from the air and water bodies into organisms (plants and microbes) and back to the air and water bodies. If the equilibrium between these two crucial pools is interrupted, drastic impacts, including global warming, disruptions or changes in climatic conditions, may occur. Scientists and ecologists are presently looking into strategies, in which human populations can utilize alternative or non-carbon containing energy sources to reduce carbon emission to the atmosphere, and balance the cycle. 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Wigley, T. M. L., & Schimel, D. S. (2000). The carbon cycle. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Read More