Global warming atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

Carbon. Most of the Earth s supply of carbon is stored in carbonate rocks in the Hthosphere. Normally the circulation rate for Hthospheric carbon is slow compared with that of carbon between the atmosphere and biosphere. The carbon cycle has received much attention in recent years as a result of research into the possible relation between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, most of which is produced by combustion of fossil fuel, and the "greenhouse effect," or global warming. Extensive research has been done on the rate at which carbon dioxide might be converted to cellulose and other photosyntheticaHy produced organic compounds by various forms of natural and cultivated plants. Estimates also have been made of the rate at which carbon dioxide is released to soil under optimum conditions by various kinds of plant cover, such as temperature-zone deciduous forests, cultivated farm crops, prairie grassland, and desert vegetation. 

Global warming pressure groups would have the world believe that catastrophic changes in the earth s climate will occur without drastic limitations of carbon dioxide emissions—this in spite of the fact that the carbon dioxide levels in the earth s atmosphere have been much higher than today s for much of geological history. For example, as documented by the work of Berner,13 atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations were some five 15... 

Methane (CH ) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two important atmospheric components that contribute to global warming, besides carbon dioxide which is the major contributor. Both methane and nitrous oxide absorb infrared radiation, while nitrous oxide is photochemically oxidized to nitric oxide (NO) resulting in ozone depletion in the stratosphere. The nitric oxide formed also governs the concentration of other greenhouse gases. The amount of nitrous oxide and methane in the atmosphere has been continuously increasing since industrialization, with current increase rates of 0.25 and 1.2% per year, respectively. 

There is a consensus amongst scientists that biofuels used in a sustainable manner result in no net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ). Some would even go as far as to declare that sustainable use of biomass will result in a net decrease in atmospheric CO (Jefferson et al., 1991). This is based on the assumption that all the COj given off by the use of biomass fuels was recently taken in from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. Increased substitution of fossil fuels with biomass-based fuels would therefore help reduce the potential for global warming, caused by increased atmospheric concentrations of COj. 

Increasing carbon dioxide concentration and decreasing stratospheric ozone concentration of the atmosphere may alter global radiation fluxes. Presumably a primary result of more carbon dioxide in the air will be warming. While incoming solar radiation is not absorbed... 

The combustion of alkanes, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and global warming (Section 4.14B) An introduction to lipids, biomolecules whose properties can be explained by understanding alkane chemistry cholesterol in the cell membrane (Section 4.15)... 

The consumption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by chemical weathering of silicate minerals counteracts global warming caused by increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and sets up a feed-back mechanism that causes cyclical variations in the global climate. Nezat et al. (2001) explained it this way ... 

E The combustion of alkanes, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and global warming (Section 4.14B)... 

The release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and its attendant effect on global warming have been widely publicized in recent years. A warning call came in the late 1980s and early 1990s when it was established that carbon dioxide concentrations in the air, then at a level of 370 ppm, were... 

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in water is also impacted by global warming. During the past 30 years, concentrations of DOC in lakes and streams in Europe and North America have increased. The increases are associated with global warming increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and other factors [47]. 

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