GLOBE Carbon Cycle The Carbon Cycle University of

GLOBE Carbon Cycle: The Carbon Cycle University of New Hampshire: Jennifer Bourgeault, Rita Freuder, Lara Gengarelly, Mary Martin, Scott Ollinger, Sarah Sallade, Annette Schloss, Haley Wicklein Czech Republic: Jana Albrechtova, Kateřina Čiháková, Zuzana Lhotakova, Barbora Semeráková, Premek Stych, Dana Votapkova GLOBE Program Office: Gary Randolph

Ask yourself this question: How do I interact with the Carbon Cycle? I live in a house I eat food I drive a car I plant trees I wear clothes I breathe I cut my grass

If we want to understand anything about climate change we must learn about the most important atom – NPR Video Episode 1 : It's All About Carbon Episode 2

Carbon: A building block of life • The most abundant element in living things • Accounts for 45 -50% of the total mass of the biosphere. • Also present in the Earth’s, atmosphere, soil, oceans, and crust

The Carbon Cycle

The Greenhouse Effect Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas

The Greenhouse Effect (continued)

Changing Atmospheric Conditions Mauna Loa Hawaii CO 2 Record Atmospheric CO 2 (ppm) 400 380 360 340 320 300 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 Year http: //www. esrl. noaa. gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/ Level of Certainty: 100% Annual Increase

Changing Atmospheric Conditions http: //www. esrl. noaa. gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/

Changing Atmospheric Conditions Annual Global Chlorophyll Concentration – NASA Earth animation MODIS NDVI in Southern & Northern Hemisphere

The Pulse of the Planet: Estimated Chlorophyll Concentration Sea. Wi. FS Satellite Data January 1998

The Pulse of the Planet: Estimated Chlorophyll Concentration Sea. Wi. FS Satellite Data July 1998

Atmospheric CO 2 Over Geologic Time Scales Vostok Ice Core CO 2 Record 420, 000 years ago to the present CO 2 concentration (ppmv)

Atmospheric CO 2 Over Geologic Time Scales Vostok Ice Core CO 2 Record 420, 000 years ago to the present Atmospheric CO 2 (ppm) 400 Present (2011) Ice Core Data 350 Mauna Loa Record Inter-Glacial Maximum 300 Glacial Minimum 250 200 Barnola et al. 1999 150 400, 000 300, 000 200, 000 Years Before Present 100, 000 0

Projected Increases in CO 2 700 Projected (2100) 650 Vostok Record IPCC IS 92 a Scenario Mauna Loa Record Law Dome IPCC IS 92 a Mauna Loa Scenario Record 600 Understanding the future of atmospheric CO 2 is Critical 500 450 400 Current (2011) 350 300 250 200 150 400, 000 300, 000 200, 000 100, 000 0 CO 2 Concentration (ppmv) 550

Temperature Changes Mirror Changes in CO 2

Video: How do we know? Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming

“Planet Earth Has Entered a NEW Era That Has No Historical Precedent” Berrien Moore III Chairman International Global Biosphere Program Director Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space “The Earth’s Climate System is an Angry Beast and We are Poking it with Sticks” Wallace Broeker Columbia University, Lamont Doherty Geological Observatory

Questions about the Carbon Cycle? ? ?

Mauna Loa