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Q: How much carbon is put into the atmosphere each year by fossil fuel combustion?
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How does carbon cycle through earth's four spheres?

Carbon dioxide constantly moves into and out of the atmosphere through several major pathways. Over short time scales, the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, organic decomposition (decay), and combustion (burning of organic material) increase or decrease the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Carbon dioxide is also exchanged between the atmosphere and oceans by gas exchange over short time scales. Each year, approximately one-fifth of the carbon (in the form of CO2) in the atmosphere is cycled in and out.


Where do the carbon in fossil fuels come from?

Fossil fuels are the remains of plant and animal matter than have undergone changes over vast periods of time, heat and pressure beneath the earth. Nitrogen and sulfur are natural components of protein and other metabolic products in cells, so these remain in the fossil fuels, and are oxidised to various sulfur and nitrogen oxides upon combustion of the fuel.


What is carbon dioxcide?

Carbon dioxide is a toxic gas with the formula CO2, showing that each molecule contains 1 atom of carbon and 2 atoms of oxygen. It often forms from the combustion of carbon or carbon compounds or from acid-base or decomposition reactions involving carbonates. It is mildly acidic, forming small amounts of carbonic acid (H2CO3) when it reacts with water. Some scientists are concerned that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere are causing worldwide temperatures to increase.


Average temperatures are rising each year because of accumulations of carbon in the atmosphere?

Cause/effect


What increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) in industry, transport and the generation of electricity, which releases carbon dioxide.DeforestationThe production of cement which contributes 5% of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions.A:Human activities are shown by atmospheric scientists to be responsible for increasing the amount of carbon dioxide CO2 in the atmosphere. The major sources of human emissions are the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas for industry, driving our transport, heating our homes and generating electricity.Humans produce between 3 and 6% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Natural carbon sources produce much larger quantities than mankind, but this is offset by the vast natural carbon sinks that remove CO2 from the air. The current imbalance is due to human activity.We know where the increase comes from because CO2 from fossil fuels has a specific chemical signature, and scientists have observed that the proportion of CO2 from fossil fuels in the atmosphere has increased globally, and even more in cities and populated areas.Human emissions are not the only factor, but it is currently the most significant. For example, human emissions of CO2 are more than 130 times greater than the amount released by volcanic eruptions.More comments:Most of this increase in CO2 production (by man) is due to our ever increasing electricity consumption.Burning wood or allowing trees to rot does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as long as old trees are replaced by new ones which absorb as much carbon as the old ones had done. This is essentially part of the natural cycle, in which carbon is continually added to and removed from the atmosphere But deforestation does increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, because new trees are not allowed to replace those removed.The most important way in which we add to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is by burning fossil fuels. Another important contributor is the manufacture of cement. Climate scientists say that overall we have increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by around 35 per cent since the beginning of the Industrial Age. The Carbon/CO2 on earth is part of a natural cycle which balances the CO2 in the atmosphere with the carbon locked in the rocks as limestone, and hydrocarbons. In general over the totality of geologic time the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has fallen as a result of biological processes. In recent times human activity has been responsible for releasing a large quantity of fossil Carbon (oil, gas and coal) as CO2 into the atmosphere. While much of this has been buffered by the CO2 dissolving in the oceans, there has also been a marked increase in CO2 percentage in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution.The burning of fossil fuels is a primary source of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Motor vehicle exhaust and the burning of fuel oil in ships and factories or power plants puts lots of CO2 into the air. We also burn a lot of coal worldwide, and this also ups CO2 output by people. Additionally, the burning of wild lands (either by accident or on purpose) is increasing the amount of combustion byproducts (including CO2) in the air.Man uses energy. We create CO2 when we use energy. CO2 is the only gas in our environment that we make a substantial portion of. Man produces almost 7% of this gas. Much of this CO2 that we emit (over half) is to heat, cool and power our homes.Industrial activities have definitely contributed the most to the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air. Carbon dioxide is released when the factories are running and producing stuff. Burning of fossil fuels also cause it to rise.Every carbon-based life form (that includes every plant, animal, and human on earth) adds CO2 to the atmosphere when it decomposes (or is burned). As agriculture developed, bigger and better plants cover more of the earth and an ever-increasing number of livestock are being raised. In addition, carbon from coal petroleum deposits that have been buried for millennia are being extracted and burned, releasing even more CO2 into the air.Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are the main causes of excess CO2... humans and other animals also increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since we breathe out CO2. Although, humans and other animals breathing is not the main cause of excess CO2 in the atmosphere.

Related questions

Burning these has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Fossil fuel (oil and coal) consumption emits roughly 30 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.


Which substances are produced when fossil fuels are burned?

Yes, Fossil fuels are oxidized through the application of heat, which acts as a catalyst(increases the rate of reaction) to the exothermic chemical reaction known as combustion. When a fossil fuel is placed in a heated environment, its molecules are excited to the point that they burn, which is the severing of the electrical bonds between the hydrogen and carbon atoms. The hydrocarbon reacts with the oxygen in the air during combustion, forming water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). If not enough heat is applied to the combustion, then the result is a lot of free carbon molecules in the form of soot. High-heat environments provide ample energy to allow the breaking of hydrocarbons into water and carbon dioxide in larger amounts.


What green house gasses do fossil fuels emit?

Chiefly carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels are primarily carbon. When burned, this carbon combines with atmospheric oxygen to form CO2. CO2 is a heat trapping gas which lingers for centuries, and human consumption of fossil fuel now liberates over 20 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.


How does the combustion of fossil fuel lead to an increase in global temperature?

Yes, it does. There is a natural amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that the carbon cycle moves around. This is enough, with the other greenhouse gases, to keep the earth warm.Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide that has been out of the picture, buried underground, for millions of years. So this release increases the levels of carbon dioxide.


How many megatons of carbon do humans produce by burning fossils fuels each year?

Total world energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were 29.7 billion metric tons in 2007.A:Humans add about 27 billion tonnes (nearly 30 billion US tons) of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels every year.


How does carbon cycle through earth's four spheres?

Carbon dioxide constantly moves into and out of the atmosphere through several major pathways. Over short time scales, the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, organic decomposition (decay), and combustion (burning of organic material) increase or decrease the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Carbon dioxide is also exchanged between the atmosphere and oceans by gas exchange over short time scales. Each year, approximately one-fifth of the carbon (in the form of CO2) in the atmosphere is cycled in and out.


What is the difination of carbon footeprint?

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from the use of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas. Each person, industry and group has its own carbon footprint.


Where has global warming come from?

It has come largely from the combustion of fossil fuels. Humans now release over 30 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. While we're at only about 400 ppm today, by 2050 we are expected to exceed 500 ppm at the current rate. We will exceed it well before then if we continue expanding our use of fossil fuel.


Which source emits 51 percent of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere each year?

Vehicles


How much carbon does the surface of the ocean absorb from the atmosphere each year?

90 gigatons


In what ways do burning fossil fuels affect the environment?

Your question is not easy to give a simple answer. Please consult the related links. I believe you can gain considerable information from the internet. The fossil fuels are oil, natural gas and coal. Global warming, acid rain and general air pollution from car exhaust occurs from burning fossil fuels. The global warming occurs because of a "green house effect" where sunlight is trapped inside our atmosphere due to air pollution. Acid rain occurs when the products of combustion, sulfur dioxide, nitrous dioxide and nitrogen dioxide mix with rain water. Each of these impacts is very extensive. Each fossil fuel has individual impacts related to their use. Please see related links.


What is sphere interdependency?

Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants. In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). [ [ With the help of the Sun, through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air to make plant food from carbon. # Carbon moves from plants to animals. Through food chains, the carbon that is in plants moves to the animals that eat them. Animals that eat other animals get the carbon from their food too. # Carbon moves from plants and animals to the ground. When plants and animals die, their bodies, wood and leaves decay bringing the carbon into the ground. Some becomes buried miles underground and will become fossil fuels in millions and millions of years. # Carbon moves from living things to the atmosphere. Each time you exhale, you are releasing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. Animals and plants get rid of carbon dioxide gas through a process called respiration. ] ]