Question

Photosynthesis by land plants leads to the fixation each year of about 1 kg of carbon on the average for each square meter of an actively growing forest. The atmosphere is approximately 20% O2 and 80% N2, but contains 0.0390% CO2 by weight.
A.) What volume of air at 25 oC and 1 atm is needed to provide this 1 kg of carbon?
B.) How much carbon is present in the entire atmosphere lying above each square meter of the earth s surface?
C.) At the current rate of utilization, how long would it take to use all the CO2 in the entire atmosphere directly above a forest? For this problem, make the (unreasonable, but greatly simplifying) assumption that circulation and replenishment mechanisms for the air above the forest are cut off

Answer 1