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Yes, the carbon cycle is responsible for moving carbon in and out of the atmosphere. It normally works carefully so there is always the right balance, because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a greenhouse that helps to keep the earth comfortably warm. Burning fossil fuels releases age-old carbon that has been hidden away for millions of years. Releasing it now imposes an extra burden on the carbon cycle which is unable to keep it balanced. This is why carbon dioxide levels and rising and the atmosphere is warming.
First look at what happens when we burn organic fuel such as wood. This produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. But this only replaces the atmospheric carbon dioxide that the tree had absorbed in order to grow the wood. There is no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, we are also adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But this is from carbon that has been sequestered underground for millions of years. This means there is an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to an enhanced greenhouse effect and hence global warming. The extent of this can be seen when we realise that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen by about 35 per cent from the long-term range of 260-280 parts per million (ppm) to 380 ppm since the beginning of the Industrial Age.
The greenhouse effect does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect happens because of the carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere.It is the burning of fossil fuels that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Burning coal, oil and natural gas releases age-old carbon dioxide that was laid down underground millions of years ago, so letting it free now puts an impossible burden on the carbon cycle, which cannot remove it.
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In the mid-1700s the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were about 280 ppm (parts per million).In 2004 the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were about 375 ppm.In 2012 the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were about 393 ppm.
When we speak of global warming, we usually mean the rise in average global temperatures that has been occurring since the beginning of the Industrial Age. Rising levels of carbon dioxide account for most of this change, followed by methane levels.
The present level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is approximately 380 parts per million and rising rapidly due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and cement manufacture. Until the beginning of the Industrial Age, the long term average concentration of carbon dioxide was in the range 260 to 280 ppm, falling to around 160 ppm during cold periods, but never as high as the present level during all human history.
In the Ice Age
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which helps retain the sun's warmth and maintain the world at a comfortable temperature, suitable for human habitation. However, the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that has taken place since the beginning of the Industrial Age, from the normal range of 260-280 parts per million (ppm) to 380 ppm, is beginning to cause global warming, and at an accelerating rate. As the world warms, so the ocean water warms, As water warms it expands, causing global sea levels to rise. Another cause of rising sea levels is the melting of glaciers and ice caps, releasing water into the ocean. Overall, sea levels have risen 20 centimetres in the last century, and are now predicted to rise by 90 to 150 centimetres during the twenty-first century.
Yes, the carbon cycle is responsible for moving carbon in and out of the atmosphere. It normally works carefully so there is always the right balance, because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a greenhouse that helps to keep the earth comfortably warm. Burning fossil fuels releases age-old carbon that has been hidden away for millions of years. Releasing it now imposes an extra burden on the carbon cycle which is unable to keep it balanced. This is why carbon dioxide levels and rising and the atmosphere is warming.
First look at what happens when we burn organic fuel such as wood. This produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. But this only replaces the atmospheric carbon dioxide that the tree had absorbed in order to grow the wood. There is no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, we are also adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But this is from carbon that has been sequestered underground for millions of years. This means there is an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to an enhanced greenhouse effect and hence global warming. The extent of this can be seen when we realise that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen by about 35 per cent from the long-term range of 260-280 parts per million (ppm) to 380 ppm since the beginning of the Industrial Age.
The greenhouse effect does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect happens because of the carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere.It is the burning of fossil fuels that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Burning coal, oil and natural gas releases age-old carbon dioxide that was laid down underground millions of years ago, so letting it free now puts an impossible burden on the carbon cycle, which cannot remove it.
Now we have far more in the way of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than during the ice age. Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels over thousands of years have never changed much from 280 ppm (parts per million). Now they are approaching 400 ppm. Extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are causing global warming and climate change.
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In the morning at any age and during puberty.
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