Keeling Curves, Greenhouse Gases, and Air Quality

Keeling, GHGs and AQI
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Keeling, GHGs and AQI
This discussion is on 3 distinct sections of the assignment that include; the interpretation of keeling curves, Greenhouse gases, and air quality. The answers are presented below.
Part 1: Keeling Curves (14pts)
Visit the Scripps Institute site to view the current CO2 readings from the Mauna Loa Hawaii observatory; the data and graphs presented on this site will inform your answers for this exercise and you will need to spend a few minutes exploring the site before answering the questions. Please type your answers to the questions on this document using a blue font color so that your answers are recognizable and do not blend in with the prompts/questions.
Q1.1. (2pts) What is the most current “daily” CO2 reading?
420.40 ppm.
Q1.2. (4pts) Add a print screen image of the most current daily ppm reading from the Scripps site here for credit for this question:
Q1.3. (4pts) Change the graphical display by choosing increasing times, i.e. month, year, two years, full record, etc. After exploring this site, explain why the “full record” starts in 1958:
It starts in 1958 since the founder, Dave Keeling bought the first infrared gas analyzers and installed them at Mauna Loa in March 1958. Prior to this, there were no known monitors of atmospheric gases.
Q1.4 (4pts) In your own words explain the reason we see small annual variations (the up and down zig zag pattern), as well as a long term multidecadal trend (increase) in atmospheric CO2? In other words what specifically causes these short-term variations and long-term trends in atmospheric C02 concentrations?
The specific causes are respiration and photosynthesis. These processes work in a way that during summer and spring seasons every year, the flora (plants) absorb these gases, but let go of them in winter and fall. The long term multidecadal trend in atmospheric CO2 is caused by a variety of human activity that negatively impacts the atmosphere, the main cause being emission of fossil fuels.
Part 2: Greenhouse Gases – It’s not just CO2! (26pts)
Q2.1. (8pts) Research the natural and anthropogenic sources of each of the greenhouse gases using .gov or .edu sources - then complete the table as shown. The first row has been completed for you as an example.
Greenhouse Gas

Molecule

Natural Source

Anthropogenic (Human Activity Source)

Water Vapor

H2O

Water vapor is a naturally occurring greenhouse gas that acts as a heat amplifier, water vapor occurs naturally as part of processes such as evapotranspiration

Water vapor is released through a variety of human driven changes such as agricultural and industrial activities, land use change, melting of sea ice and glaciers, water pumped up from aquifers, fracking and other extractions, poor irrigation practices, and retention ponds.

Carbon Dioxide

CO2

CO2 is naturally occurring and is as a result of emissions from energy fuel conversion to energy.

Human activity of burning fossil fuel (combustion) for energy use, change in land use, and cement production.

Methane

CH4

This GHG is naturally occurring found in coal mines, oil and natural gas exploitation sites, landfills, and agricultural sites.

Human activity of coal mining, oil and natural gas exploitation, and some agricultural activities (like rice paddies and livestock keeping).

Nitrous Oxide

N2O

This gas naturally occurs from the breakdown of nitrogen in oceans and soils, by a bacteria.

Human activity of using nitrogen fertilizers, combustion of fossil fuels, and hazardous waste and industrial management processes.

Ozone

NOx

Natural causes include volcanic activity, lightning, and a number of biological processes.

Human activity like use of motor vehicles is one of the main anthropogenic source.

Carbon Monoxide

CO

This gas is odorless, tasteless, colorless, and toxic, which naturally comes from the incomplete burning of carbon-filled oil, wood, gasoline, and natural gas.

The main anthropogenic source is emissions from vehicles.

CFCs

CFCs

They have no natural sources.

The anthropogenic sources are fire suppression systems for aerosols and aircrafts, and refrigerants.

Q2.2 (6pts) Define the “natural” and the “enhanced” greenhouse effects and explain how they differ.
The natural greenhouse effect is the natural processes, like the sun’s rays that hit the atmosphere, and warm the surface of the Earth. The enhanced greenhouse effect is the environmental footprint that results from additional GHGs and CO2 to the atmosphere, by humans.
They differ in such a way that the natural greenhouse effect of the sun's energy that reflects on atmosphere are reflected back to the space. On the contrary, enhanced greenhouse effect absorbs some of this energy and re-radiate them back to the surface of the earth through the greenhouse gases.
Q2.3. (12pts) Watch the video by Scott Denning from the University of Colorado linked below, then answer parts A through C::
https://arizona.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d4258dd7-9757-40c2-9290-acbe017afcf1
A. The top five gases in the atmosphere by com...