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How long does it take for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to disperse?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
I think the answer your after is 100 years (ive seen it referred to in reports before), but that's probably based on a big fat assumption by someone as we don't yet fully understand the various sinks. Scientists recently found the deserts are obsorbing co2 more than was ever though, and parts of the sea are acting as huge sinks but no one knows why
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe time taken for atmospheric gases to adjust to changes in sources or sinks is known as the atmospheric lifetime of a gas. The atmospheric lifetime of carbon dioxide is in the order of 50-200 years.
Another Answer:Actually the figure is less than ten years according to most experts in the field. In 1997 the IPCC changed this figure to 100 years or so. One can only assume in order to bolster their rather shaky theory that Mankind is somehow affecting the planets climate.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoI think the answer your after is 100 years (I've seen it referred to in reports before), but that's probably based on a big fat assumption by someone as we don't yet fully understand the various sinks. Scientists recently found the deserts are absorbing co2 more than was ever though, and parts of the sea are acting as huge sinks but no one knows why.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoA single molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) stays in the atmosphere for about 5 years. It is then absorbed into the ocean and is replaced by a different molecule of CO2 from the ocean or from the land.
If we stopped CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels today, most of the CO2 already in the atmosphere would remain there for between 50 and 200 years.
Some of this extra CO2, however, will remain in the atmosphere for more than 1000 years before temperatures and CO2 levels will return to pre-industrial levels.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIt can last for a ong time and with how much CO2 we're emmiting, there will be a ton of CO2 and it will last for probably longer than us. Sorry!
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoCarbon dioxide is a normal, permanent part of our atmosphere.
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When this erupts it can change the weather all over the world?
A volcano erupting can having a cooling effect on the earth's atmosphere because of high levels of dust and ash. Volcanoes do not emit great amounts of carbon dioxide. This cooling effect only lasts as long as the ash remains in the atmosphere.
Why does a candle burn for a long time in a jar with no lid on?
the candle uses up the oxygen and in doing so creates carbon dioxide. Eventually there will be more carbon dioxide than oxygen and it will snuff out the flame
How does ice turn into gas?
No, dry ice isn't a gas. It's the solid form of carbon dioxide, and it is a very good example of sublimation, which is when a solid state (dry ice) changes directly to a gas state (carbon dioxide) without first changing into a liquid state.
How does a respirometer work?
A respirometer works by measuring the amount of oxygen breathed in and measuring the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. It also measures how long it takes from a breath in to a breath out for normal respiration.
How do scientists determine the age of an object using isotopes?
Scientists use the relative amount of stable and unstable isotopes in an object to determine its age.
How long ago did the atmosphere on earth have the most carbon dioxide?
In the Ice Age
Why is there more carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere?
There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now because we have been burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) for more than 200 years. This burning adds long-hidden carbon dioxide, so it is too much for the carbon cycle to completely recycle.
What would happen to the atmosphere's temperatures if there wasn't any carbon dioxide?
The atmosphere would be slightly cooler than it is now if there were no carbon dioxide in it. Carbon dioxide is just one of several so-called "greenhouse gasses". It is second in importance to water vapor, a very distant second. So, if all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere suddenly disappeared, it would not affect temperatures very much. What you have to worry about is the effect on plant life. Plants cannot survive without carbon dioxide. No trees, no crops. Fortunately, it's just not possible to deplete all of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even over the long term. There are plenty of sources for carbon dioxide, including the burning of fossil fuels and respiration of animal life. And if that all ran out, then you have about a hundred times as much CO2 stored in the oceans as there is in the atmosphere, and that would go back into the atmosphere rather quickly.
How can you prevent co2 from entering the atmosphere?
from outside the atmosphere? there is no problem regarding that because space is a vacuum. BUT CO2 has already entered our atmosphere. As long as there are organisms that thrive through the process of respiration, you can't eliminate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even the earth itself releases carbon dioxide without the help of organisms. --- ANSWER: DEPENDS. ^_^
What would happen to the atmosphere's temperatures if there wasn't any carbon?
The atmosphere would be slightly cooler than it is now if there were no carbon dioxide in it. Carbon dioxide is just one of several so-called "greenhouse gasses". It is second in importance to water vapor, a very distant second. So, if all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere suddenly disappeared, it would not affect temperatures very much. What you have to worry about is the effect on plant life. Plants cannot survive without carbon dioxide. No trees, no crops. Fortunately, it's just not possible to deplete all of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even over the long term. There are plenty of sources for carbon dioxide, including the burning of fossil fuels and respiration of animal life. And if that all ran out, then you have about a hundred times as much CO2 stored in the oceans as there is in the atmosphere, and that would go back into the atmosphere rather quickly.
What is carbon monoxide cycle?
Carbon monoxide is first produced by either human activities involving combustion or a variety of natural processes. From there on, it reacts with oxygen/hydrogen radicals in the atmosphere and become carbon dioxide. The fact that most carbon monoxide will become carbon dioxide when left in the atmosphere long enough can help explain why the carbon monoxide cycle is not taught in school.
What two sources take CO2 out of the atmosphere?
The ocean removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle. This carbon recycles round and returns to the atmosphere again.Trees, forests and all growing vegetation remove CO2 from the atmosphere, release the oxygen, and store the carbon. If it is a long living tree, it can store that carbon for hundreds of years.
Why does air never fill up with carbon dioxide?
Ninety-nine percent of the atmosphere is already filled with nitrogen and oxygen, and carbon dioxide makes up less that 1% of the rest. So it will take a long time for the air to fill up with carbon dioxide.
What human activities do not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
Riding a bicycle is carbon neutral, which means it has no carbon footprint. It does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.Many other human activities, particularly sports and exercise are carbon neutral. But whenever you turn on some electrical gadget or ride in a fossil fueled vehicle you start increasing the carbon dioxide in the air.
Why is there an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
burning fossil fuels
How are forests able to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it for years?
All trees and different types of vegetation can. The trees and plants don't store all of the carbon dioxide for years because some plants die, and some trees drop leaves in the fall. What happens is in the summer when the trees get new leaves and grow more wood in the form of branches and a larger trunk, then they store a lot of carbon dioxide. However, in the fall, when the leaves fall and they decompose, a portion of the carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. The majority of the carbon dioxide is stored, or sequestered, in the wood of the trees and the remaining parts of the plants (such as stems, roots). That is until they are consumed by rotting, or decomposing, or by being burned. Then the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere once more. Since trees live a very long time, a lot of carbon dioxide is stored for a very long time.
How does the carbon cycle keep the amount of carbon dioxide constant in the atmosphere?
In pre-industrial times, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)that animals breathe out was matched by the amount absorbed by plants, so that the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide remained remarkably stable in the range of 260 to 280 parts per million (ppm) over a very long period. Adding additional carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels, overwhelms the carbon cycle and causes the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to rise beyond this range. Deforestation can break the carbon cycle, first by removing a store of carbon which will be released as additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and in some cases by reducing the ability of nature to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
