Question

Question:

What is the NET (what is the difference between CO2 being produced and CO2 being absorbed) amount of carbon dioxide (CO2 in gigatons per year) released into the atmosphere from the following entities: 1. Terrestrial earth (soil) and its organisms (not including humans), 2. Oceans and its organisms (plankton), and 3. Humans (look at carbon cycle image in book)? Terrestrial Earth: Click here to enter text. Oceans: Humans: I'm lost on this question. Thank you. -Richard

Answer 1

Terrestial earth and organisms

• Plants absorb carbondioxide by photosynthesis and release oxygen .
• Plants through respiration emits 220 gigatons/ year.
• Animals and the organisms of soil emits 220 gigatons/year.

Oceans and organisms

• In oceans , the carbondioxide is converted into carbonic acid .
• The carbon in the ocean is also used to form shells and other body parts.
• Phytoplankton is converted into carbon and the formation of limestone takes place once it dies.
• Phytoplankton absorbs 7000 tons of CO2.
• Oceans are the major source of carbondioxide released into the atmosphere.
• It emits 332 gigatons /year of carbondioxide into atmosphere.

Humans

• Emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by humans is about 6% of the total emission.
• Humans emit carbondioxide by burning of fossil fuels , deforestration etc accounts for 29 gigatons /year.