Understanding the Carbon Cycle and Its Impact on Climate

The video explains the role of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in Earth's atmosphere and their contribution to global warming. It details the global carbon cycle, highlighting the exchange of carbon among Earth's subsystems: atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. The video discusses the rapid carbon exchange in the geobiosphere and hydrosphere, the ocean's role in carbon transport and sedimentation, and the lithosphere's long-term carbon storage. Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, disrupt this natural cycle, leading to increased atmospheric CO2. The video also explores how climate change affects the carbon cycle through feedback effects, impacting carbon sequestration and contributing to extreme weather events.

What is the primary role of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere?

• To act as a greenhouse gas

• To provide oxygen for breathing

• To cool the Earth's surface

• To form clouds

Which subsystem exchanges carbon the fastest with the atmosphere?

• Lithosphere

• Atmosphere

• Hydrosphere

• Geobiosphere

How do oceans contribute to the carbon cycle?

• By absorbing and releasing carbon dioxide

• By storing carbon in the form of coal

• By converting carbon into oxygen

• By releasing carbon through volcanic eruptions

What is the role of phytoplankton in the ocean's carbon cycle?

• They release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

• They build carbon into their shells during photosynthesis

• They absorb carbon from the ocean floor

• They convert carbon into methane

What happens to carbon in the lithosphere over millions of years?

• It consolidates into carbonate rock

• It becomes part of the atmosphere

• It is absorbed by plants

• It forms natural gas

How do human activities disrupt the natural carbon cycle?

• By increasing rainfall

• By burning fossil fuels

• By reducing ocean currents

• By planting more trees

What is the significance of carbonate rock in the carbon cycle?

• It is a source of natural gas

• It stores carbon for millions of years

• It releases carbon quickly into the atmosphere

• It absorbs carbon from the atmosphere

What is a potential effect of global warming on plant growth?

• Complete halt of carbon uptake

• No change in carbon uptake

• Increased carbon uptake

• Decreased carbon uptake

How do extreme weather events affect the carbon cycle?

• They convert carbon into oxygen

• They decrease carbon uptake by plants

• They have no effect on carbon uptake

• They increase carbon uptake by plants

What is a major uncertainty in understanding the carbon cycle's feedback effects?

• The exact amount of carbon in the lithosphere

• The role of oceans in carbon storage

• The speed of carbon exchange in the atmosphere

• The impact of climate change on carbon uptake