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There are lots of reports about the "greenhouse effect" on the news these days. These reports invariably contain dire predictions about the effects of elevated levels of CO2, resulting from air pollution, on climate changes and global warming. Consider all of your observations as you address the following questions. 13. What do plants do with CO2 present in the atmosphere? 14. Would you expect photosynthesis to be more or less efficient under "greenhouse effect" conditions? 15. Predict the overall response of plants to elevated CO2 levels. 16. How might the "greenhouse effect" be impacted by plants' response to it?

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Sixta Kovacek
Sixta KovacekLv2
28 Sep 2019
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Related questions

Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and its Effects on Agriculture Many scientists understand that earth is getting warmer and that the cause could be an intensified greenhouse effect resulting from increased CO2 emissions from industry, vehicles, and the burning of forests. Increased carbon dioxide levels will also affect the nutritional quality of many crop plants by decreasing protein content and increasing weed growth. Global warming could influence agriculture and perhaps even completely melt polar ice, leading to flooding of coastal regions. Over 90% of scientists now agree that global warming is occurring. In response to this potential threat, several European countries, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have made a commitment to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, some countries oppose taking strong actions at this time and the U.S. has only met a relatively small proportion of its commitments. Several reasons are cited. First, some experts think the apparent warming trend may be just a random fluctuation in temperature. Second, if the temperature increase is real, some argue that it has yet to be proven that the cause is increased CO2. However, regardless of the effects on climate change, the carbon fertilization effect of increased CO2 levels is affecting crops each year. Some believe it would be difficult to cut CO2 emissions without sacrificing comfort, convenience, and economic growth. Carbon Dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html Effects of Carbon Fertilization of Crop Plants: http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9479 http://news.illinois.edu/news/14/0507CO2_AndrewLeakey.html http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/10/29/carbon-dioxide-emissions-stimulating-15-trillion-crop-production Please consider and reply to the questions below: Do you think we should have more evidence that greenhouse warming is real before taking action? Or is it better to play it safe and act now to reduce CO2 emissions? The evidence of carbon fertilization of crop plants is readily available and accepted. Crop plants are producing less seed and less protein. Weed plants are overgrowing crop plants and reducing annual yields. Should we take action now to reduce CO2 emissions in order to prevent the loss of agricultural output and nutritious crops?

This laboratory relates to the following Terminal Course Objective(TCO):


8 Given the two major problems of global warming and ozone layerdepletion, compare and contrast the causes, environmental andhealth impacts, as well as the success or failure of internationalpolicies to solve these problems.


Introduction

We have heard for a long time that air pollution and theaccumulation of greenhouse gases lead to global warming. In theanimation below the rise in global temperature and the rise in sealevel is predicted by a model built by the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC). This model is based on a number ofassumptions on the amount of ozone, particulate matter and otherair pollutants.







Depletion of the Ozone Layer

Solar radiation emits electromagnetic waves with a wide range ofwavelengths. Visible light is the part of the electromagneticspectrum that can be detected by the eye's photoreceptors.Ultraviolet radiation has slightly shorter wavelengths than visiblelight and can cause damage to the biological tissues that absorb itby destroying protein and DNA molecules. The damaging effects ofultraviolet radiation are mitigated by the ozone (O3) in theatmosphere. The ozone in the stratosphere is called the OzoneLayer. Without the Ozone Layer, it is doubtful that any life onearth could survive. Since World War ll, many atmosphericscientists began to measure the concentration of ozone in thestratosphere around the South Pole. They have noted someinteresting trends. In the exercise below we will explore the issueof Ozone Depletion.



Wind Circulation in the Atmosphere

Wind circulation in the atmosphere is largely responsible for ourweather, our climate zones, and the movement and concentration ofgreenhouse gases and other air pollutants. The learning objectbelow demonstrates the circulation of winds vertically andhorizontally around the earth.



Man and Global Climate Change

The role of man in the creation of greenhouse gases and globalwarming has long been debated. The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) commissioned a model to judge the effects ofman on global temperature, the role of natural environmentalprocesses, and the combination of both. This model is exploredbelow.



One of the greenhouse gases that can be directly related to theactivities of man is carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a product ofindustrial and transportation activities. While it is true thatother processes, like respiration, can produce CO2, it is simple tolook at the concentration of CO2 before and after the industrialrevolution and clearly see the effects of man.



Concern about greenhouse gases led to representatives of 166nations to sign the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which attempted tolimit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Therise of the global economy has complicated the issue, as isdemonstrated in the learning object below.



Greenhouse Gases and Health

In recent years we have been measuring the Air Quality Index (AQI),which is a measure of such pollutants as ozone, particulate matter,and CO2. In the exercise below you may explore the AQI in citiesacross the U.S.







Let's look at two locations less than 500 miles apart thatrepresent both ends of the spectrum of the issue of greenhousegases and global warming. Explore both virtual field trips andevaluate them in terms of whether they contribute to the greenhousegas problem or help reduce it.

Kuala Lumpur

Rainforest / Terraced Rice Fields



Exercises

Exercise 1. Have a class debate between people representing thedeveloping countries and people representing the developedcountries OR write an essay comparing and contrasting the two.Characterize each side in terms of the issues surroundingpopulation growth, energy use, resource use, and sustainabledevelopment. Find common interests between the two.

Exercise 2. Look at the two virtual field trips and define each ofthe environments depicted in terms of the global carbon cyclediagram below. Assuming that the cycle is in balance, how wouldeach site change the balance.



Exercise 3. Develop a series of international agreements that wouldlead to the kind of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions calledfor in the Kyoto Protocol and that would satisfy the concerns forglobal equity between developed and developing countries.

Exercise 4. Using the table below keep track of your dailyactivities and how they affect the greenhouse gas crisis in theworld. What does each activity produce? Are the products positiveor negative. How do the sizes (volumes of gas) of the variousproducts vary? After you have created your table define yourpersonal global carbon footprint. Do you have a positive effect ora negative one?







The total amount of energy invested in the production of living biomass in a community is that community's

Select one:

a. gross primary productivity

b. net primary productivity

c. gross photosynthetic efficiency

d. net photosynthetic efficiency

Which of the following factors accounts for the largest number of documented extinctions that have occurred in the last 1,000 years?

Select one:

a. Deforestation

b. Habitat fragmentation

c. Pollution

d. Invasive species

In terrestrial ecosystems, the greatest current cause of species endangerment is

Select one:

a. invasive species

b. habitat loss

c. overharvesting

d. pollution

Carbon dioxide has a warming effect on the earth's atmosphere. This is because it absorbs

Select one:

a. ultraviolet radiation coming from the earth's surface

b. visible light coming directly from the sun

c. ultaviolet radiation coming from the sun

d. infrared radiation coming from the earth's surface

The overall productivity of the open ocean has declined as a result of global warming.This is believed to be because

Select one:

a. ocean stratification has intensified

b. cloud cover has increased, reducing sunlight over the ocean

c. higher temperatures have directly inhibited algal photosynthesis

d. the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean has decreased

Positive feedback might occur in response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as a result of

Select one:

a. soil decomposers increasing the rate at which they break down organic molecules

b. oceans absorbing more carbon dioxide in the form of bicarbonate ions

c. an increase in the rate at which fossil fuels are formed

d. plants accelerating their growth by taking up more carbon dioxide

Which nitrogen-containing molecules in soil represent a usable source of nitrogen for plants?

Select one:

a. Nitrogenous bases of nucleic acids

b. All of these

c. Ammonium

d. Amino acids

In a tropical forest ecosystem, "edge” habitat is considered to be of relatively low quality for conservation purposes because it

Select one:

a. tends to contain more invasive species

b. all of these

c. tends to contain more early-successional species

d. is more exposed to the effects of wind

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