ancient forests stabilized earth’s co2 and climate
Post on 04-Aug-2015
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Ancient forests stabilized Earth’s CO2 and climate
EVOLUTIONOF FORESTS
DEVONIAN PERIODThe Devonian is a geologic period of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 419.2 mya to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 358.9 mya.“Greening of land” Is the main event that took place.Forests evolved.
STABILIZED CLIMATEAncient earth had climate and environment that was pure and stabilized compared to what it is now.When CO2 levels became too low for plants to grow properly, forests kept the climate in check by slowing down the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
WHY CO2 LEVEL USED TO DROP?
Because there were no fossil fuels being burnt upLess biodiversity, thus less organisms produced or emitted CO2 .No urbanization
SOURCES OF CO2 IN THAT TIMEPlants produced
at night
Volcanic eruptions
PAST
Over the last 24 million years, the geologic conditions were such that atmospheric CO2 could have fallen to very low levels – but it did not drop below a minimum concentration of about 180 to 200 parts per million. Why?Scientists recreated past environmental conditions by growing trees at low, present-day and high levels of CO2 in controlled-environment growth chambers
WHEN PLANTS CONSERVE CO2? When the level of carbon dioxide drops from
1500 ppm to 200 ppm
1500 ppm
200 ppm
EFFECTS OF LOW LEVEL CO2 Less weathering thus plants and fungi can’t grow properly in low levels of carbon dioxide
BENEFITS
Himalayas
Andes
PRESENT DAY ISSUES
Some studies have suggested that the ability of
oceans and plants to absorb carbon dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that
the airborne fraction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to
increase.
SOLUTIONSMake transgenic plants
Clone them
Plant forests
CONCLUSION
By studying the ancient environments we can learn how
to make our environment better and more stabilized!
THANK YOU!
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