0
During the day sunlight provices the energy for plants to consume carbon dioxide from the air, thereby reducing CO2 levels. Animal breathing releases CO2 to the air during both day and night, thereby increasing CO2 at night.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoFor the last 3.5 billion years, carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere have generally fallen.
Over geologic time the sun has been getting hotter. This is because over time it 'burns' more and more helium and even higher elements. This means that over time, you might think that the Earth may have been getting hotter. However it hasn't.
In our atmosphere we predominantly have two gases which trap the sun's heat and so make the planet warmer. These are water vapor and carbon dioxide. The action of plants is to use carbon dioxide and water to make sugar.
As the sun has got hotter, plants have evolved to reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This reduces the level of global warming and in this way they create the conditions allowing them to prosper. More technically, plants act as a negative feedback for enhanced heating of the Earth.
This idea is encapsulated in the Gaia hypothesis, developed by James Lovelock.
In 500 million years time, the sun will be even hotter and plants will no longer be able to control atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. This is when most of the life on Earth will cease. We don't have to wait for the Sun to become a red giant.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What happens when carbon dioxide levels decrease in the atmosphere?
The atmospheric temperature will decrease
Receptors that detect carbon dioxide levels in the blood are?
Chemoreceptors detect the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Why do carbon dioxide levels decrease when it's cold outside?
No, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increaseduring autumn and winter. When spring begins in the northern hemisphere (where most of the world's vegetation is) all the growing plants and trees start taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. They continue during their growing spell during spring and summer. As the weather gets colder they stop growing. Then the carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere.
Why do carbon dioxide levels decrease in September?
In the northern summer, where most of the world's vegetation is, the plants are all growing, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So by September, levels are down a little. During the northern winter (December to February) all vegetation is dormant, so very little carbon dioxide is removed, and levels build up again (the power stations, factories and vehicles don't stop!)
What are the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide just prior to the beginning of the industrial age in the mid-1700s and in 2004?
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.
What happens when carbon dioxide levels decrease in the atmosphere?
The atmospheric temperature will decrease
If carbon dioxide levels in the blood decrease then pH .?
increases
How would a drastic reduction in plant life on earth affect the atmosphere?
levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide would decrease and levels of carbon dioxide would increase.
What happens to temperatures when carbon dioxide levels decrease?
You become a human popsicle
Why when you hike up a mountain the plants and animals at the base are not the same as those at the top?
Because as u rise the oxygen levels decrease tremendously, and accordingly the carbon dioxide levels will also decrease. Different plants need different levels are carbon dioxide to survive. For example a sunflower is a very carbon digesting plant, meaning it requires a lot of carbon dioxide to thrive and grow. Where as an Engelmann's spruce (mountainous plant) does not require very much.
Levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood trigger the respiratory center?
Primarily it is the cabon dioxide levels that trigger respiratory drive, however in some disease states such as COPD increased oxygen levels can decrease respiratory drive.
Receptors that detect carbon dioxide levels in the blood are?
Chemoreceptors detect the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Carbon dioxide in a sentence?
The carbon Dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere are rising.
How can you decrease carbon dioxide in the blood?
breathe!
Why do carbon dioxide levels decrease when it's cold outside?
No, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increaseduring autumn and winter. When spring begins in the northern hemisphere (where most of the world's vegetation is) all the growing plants and trees start taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. They continue during their growing spell during spring and summer. As the weather gets colder they stop growing. Then the carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere.
Why you breathe out carbon dioxide?
We breathe out carbon-dioxide because high levels of carbon-dioxide in the body can be toxic By Akhilesh Sharma
How do scientist learn about carbon levels in the past?
The scientist learn about carbon levels that in the atomosphere about carbon dioxide.
