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Carbon cycling - charts
CHART 1
Relationship between annual volcanic discharge of C in Gt (109)
and sink capacity of two ecosystems directly sequestering carbon.
Industrial 1990 = order of magnitude imbalance
-------------------------------------------------------------
^
| Pre-industrial = rough balance
| _______________________________________________
| ^
| | | |
_________ ______________ | |
| | | | ------------ ---------------
| 10 Gt | | 0.2-0.5 Gt| | 0.11 Gt | | 0.27-0.42 Gt|
|_______| |____________| ------------ ---------------
Anthro- Volcanic/ Global Global
pogenic geological coral peat
release discharge reefs swamps
1.78 t/C/ha/yr 1.0 t/C/ha/yr
-------------------------------------------------------------
CHART 2
Global carbon cycle - major sinks, figures in Gt (109 t).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
________
^ |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Atmosphere :3.0 |8.71 | |
| 752 Gt C, 0.4% annual growth, presently 352 ppmv CO2 :remains|to sinks| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
................. |
^ |
| |
ANNUAL ADDITIONS | |
--------------------------------------->----------------- |
^ |
| |
| |
______________ |
^ ^ ^ |
| | | TO SINKS |
| | | ---<-------------------------------<----
_______________ | | | |
|4% growth | | | | |
--------------------- | | |
|6.0 |4.0* |0.35 | | | |---------
|fossil |bio |vol- | | | | fresh |
|fuel |burn |canic| | | | water |
--------------------- | | | 0.8 |
:Anthropogenic: | | |--------|
* includes soil disturbance | |
releases | |
LAND |
| |
________________________________..._________ |
|Live biomass : 500 : 355 | | 0.42 | |
| :plant :other | |all peat | |
|-------------:----------------|..|---------| |
|Soils : 1360 + SE Asia peat 20| |0.2 other| |
|______________________________| | soils| |
| |..|---------| |
|Recoverable fossil C 6,900 app| |
|______________________________| OCEANS
|
--------------------?-----------------------<-------------------?---
| | | | | |
| | | | | .
. . . |-------------------------------------<---->---------
. . . | 3.5-5.0(models,inorganic)| 2.5 | | 55 |
. . . |..........................| standing|......| annual|
. . . | 1.9 (measured) 1.0 | crop | | prodn |
. . . |------------------|------------------<---->--------|
. . . | . | | |
. . . | . | |
. . . | . | |
. . . | . ------------------<---- |
|---------------------| . | | |
|0.11 |0.3 |0.75 | . --------------------------- |
|coral |shelves |deeps| . | 0.38 | 4.4 | |
|reefs | | | . 36,600 | shelves | slopes & deeps| |
|------|--------|-----|. total contents --------------------------- |
| calcium carbonate |----------------------------------------------------
|_____________________|
CHART 3
Conceptual basis for energy flux analysis and human ecosystem response
ENERGY INPUT TO ECOSYSTEMS: A GUIDE FOR ESSD
energy input -------------->---------->------------> energy input
= solar radiation = nuclear explosion
per unit area per unit area
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| INCREASING ENERGY FLUX THROUGH ECOSYSTEMS -> |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|evolution adjusts | industrialization |fossil carbon use |modern warefare |
|to available energy| increases energy |increasing human |nuclear explosion |
|over "global" time | flux ---> |populations |increased use of |
| | | |fossil fuel etc.
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|low = polar regions | pollution --> |ecosystem |ecosystem collapse|
|low diversity | ecosystem |alienation, species|or adjustment |
|ecosystems* | simplification |loss, loss of |may be possible |
| | |ecosystem feed-back|if genetic record |
|high = equator | energy flux |capacity, carbon |of previous such |
|high diversity | progressivly |sequestering mechs.|situations has |
|ecosystems* | moves outside |overwhelmed |been preserved |
| | global ecosystem =======================================|
|evolution | experience over | |
|adapts | geological time | PROGRESSIVELY UNSUSTAINABLE BIOSPHERE|
|ecosystems | using accumulated | |
|to available | fossil carbon ========================================
|energy/water | storehouse | |
|----------------------------------------| SPECIES LOSS REDUCES ABILITY OF |
| BIOSPHERE TO RESPOND SUCCESSFULLY |
| TO LOCAL, REGIONAL & GLOBAL |
| ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE |
| |
========================================
* At the present time.
Note: Maximum productivity/rainfall zones shift over geological time from the tropics in icehouse conditions (present) towards the polar regions under greenhouse conditions leaving the equatorial zone hot and arid with a loss of bio-diversity and standing crop. Maximum coal production shifts with the maximum productivity zones and these in turn are probably associated with maximum terrestrial biodiversity and temperatures around 22-25o C. See Spicer this report.
CHART 4
Carbon absorption by planting program to equal reconstructed
standing crop of 1080 Gt C and maintain current CO2 levels
with no restrictions on emissions. Current standing crop taken as 500 Gt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st year required Time-frame Total
growth planting area in to estimated
-------------- by program ha completion capacity
| 1990 atmos | absorbs per year years 580 Gt
| 751 Gt C | requires
|------------| high --------- ------------- ---------- ---------------
| Atmospheric|---1%---> 7.51 Gt 65.5 x 106 57 5,065 x 106 ha
| CO2 | --------- ------------- ----------
| increase |---0.4%-> 3.0 Gt 26.2 x 106 143
-------------- low --------- ------------- ---------- ---------------
2.75 times existing
tropical forest
containing 229 Gt C
Note: program assumes standing stock of carbon per hectare will be equivilant
to the median value for tropical forests at 114.5 t.
1 Gt = 109 t. Area of Africa = 3,000 x 106 ha.
--------------------------------------------------------------
CHART 5
Carbon absorption by peat swamp development program to
maintain current CO2 levels
with no restrictions on emissions
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
growth Peat required Area in Existing
by swamp area in excess global
-------------- program ha of exist peatland
| 1990 atmos | absorbs of swamp 20x106 420x106-
| 751 Gt C | per yr ha in SEA 280x106
|------------| high --------- ------------- ---------- ---------------
| Atmospheric|---1%---> 7.51 Gt 7,510 x 106 x 375 5.6% - 3.72%
| CO2 | --------- ------------- ---------- ---------------
| increase |---0.4%-> 3.0 Gt 3,000 x 106 x 150 14% - 9.33%
-------------- low --------- ------------- ---------- ---------------
1st yr existing peat area
only is as % of requirement
considered to stabilize atmos-
pheric C input at
1.0 t/C/ha/yr
Note: program assumes accumulation of 2 mm of peat annually
1 Gt = 109 t. Area of Africa = 3,000 x 106 ha.
Area of Indonesia = 190 x 106 ha.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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