Essay Sample on Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Question 1: Describe how atmospheric carbon dioxide levels fluctuate daily, seasonally, and geographically.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

One of the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2), and it significantly contributes to climate change. However, the amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide vary daily, seasonally and geographically. Notably, the increase in the amount of CO2 occurs in a cyclic pattern. The rise and fall of C02 annually take place plants to take up gas in summer and spring while releasing it in fall and winter. This process occurs through photosynthesis and respiration resulting in seasonal variations of atmospheric CO2 (Trabalka, 1985). The cycle's range continues to expand due to the effect of human activities and fossil fuel. Respiration of plants differs from season to season since the amount of land and plants differ in the southern and the northern hemisphere. Therefore, these variations in magnitude differ geographically. Daily, the concentrations of CO2 varies as a result of human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuel. These activities are more in urban areas than in rural areas due to population density. Due to these variations, the regulation of the Earth's temperature is altered due to the changes in the concentration of CO2 in the greenhouse effect: the process of by which the planet's surface is warmed by thermal radiation from planetary atmosphere beyond what it would be in its absence (Trabalka, 1985). In a nutshell, the fluctuations in the amount of CO2 daily, seasonally and geographically alters the greenhouse effect and thus changes in Earth's temperature.

Question 2: Give examples of different environments and the relative abundance of bacteria in each. Describe the way in which the environment will determine the rate at which nutrients become available through impacts on bacteria.

Bacteria are the major players in biogeochemical cycles. Generally, the movement of nutrients through the ecosystem takes place in biogeochemical cycles. The circulation of chemical elements through the living and non-living factors of an ecosystem actors in the pathway called biogeochemical cycle. Microorganisms primarily regulate these cycles in all planets and environments (Juteau, Rho, Larocque, & LeDuy, 1999). These metabolic processes that are carried out by microbes include carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, sulfur metabolism, and methane metabolism. The bacteria responsible for carbon cycle are known as cyanobacteria or the blue-green bacteria, Cyanophyta, or the blue, green algae ("16.1C: Role of Microbes in Biogeochemical Cycling," 2018). This bacteria obtains its energy through the process of photosynthesis. Carbon fixation is the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken from the atmospheric reservoir in a transformative process to make it into an organic form before incorporation into living organisms. These processes depend on cyanobacteria. On the other hand, the nitrogen cycle is required for synthesis in all life's basic building blocs such as amino acids, DNA, and RNA ("16.1C: Role of Microbes in Biogeochemical Cycling," 2018). Since atmospheric nitrogen is unusable for biological organisms, the process of nitrogen fixation involves the conversion of this atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by living organisms. This process is made possible through a bacteria that has enzyme nitrogenase.

Different environmental factors affect microbial growth and consequently the rate at which nutrients become available through bacteria impacts. These factors include the physical and chemical nature of the environment ("Influence of Environmental Factors on Microbial Growth," n.d.). For example, environments that have the presence of prokaryotes that generally grows everywhere with life existence kills most organisms, including bacteria (Qin et al., 2016). Generally, microbial growth is affected by PH, temperature, solutes and water, pressure and radiation, and oxygen level. For example, different soil PH favors the availability of different organisms. Generally, these organisms can either be acidophiles (PH between 0-5.5), neutrophiles (5.5- 8.0) or alkalophiles (8.5-11.5) ("Influence of Environmental Factors on Microbial Growth," n.d.). Since most bacteria and protozoans are neutrophiles, environments that are either acidic or alkaline does not favor microbial activities, and hence the low rate of nutrients availability.

Question 3: Can we sustain our current rate of fossil fuel use?

From the above discussions, it is evident that changes happening in the human environment are as a result of human activities. For example, the use of fossil fuel is one of the human activities causing daily fluctuations in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels are either liquid or gas resources that are rock-like and are burned for power generation. These resources include natural gas, coal, and oil ("Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels," n.d.). They are used as the source of energy in the transportation and electricity sectors. However, due to their effect in the variations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they are the world leading source of global warming solution. However, change in eating habits, and the use of eco-friendly sources of power can help in the reduction of the use of fossil fuels.

Chiefly, the current sources of power in the transportation sector uses oil. In the United States, for example, more than 28% of greenhouse gas emission is as a result of oil used domestically and in the transport sector ("8 Ways You Can Reduce Your Reliance on Fossil Fuels," n.d.). To counter this challenge, the use of eco-friendly approaches will go a long way in reducing these emissions. For example, the use of solar panels as alternative sources of energy reduces the use of electricity and other forms of fossil fuels. Such a lifestyle is environmentally friendly and will be helpful in reducing global warming. Secondly, eating habits greatly affect the rate of emission of fossil fuel. Notably, the high consumption of meat products, as opposed to vegetables, contributes more to the emission of greenhouse gases. Scientists argue that vegetarians save up to 3000 pounds of CO2 as compared to those who consume meat ("8 Ways You Can Reduce Your Reliance on Fossil Fuels," n.d.). Further, consumption of locally produced food products goes a long way in reduction of gas-guzzling transportation. On average, food items Americans travel 1500 miles before it gets to consumers. In a nutshell, reduction in the use of fossil fuel will consequently help in the reduction of global warming.

References

16.1C: Role of Microbes in Biogeochemical Cycling. (2018, July 1). Retrieved from https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Book%3A_Microbiology_(Boundless)/16%3A_Microbial_Ecology/16.1%3A_Microbial_Ecology/16.1C%3A_Role_of_Microbes_in_Biogeochemical_Cycling

8 Ways You Can Reduce Your Reliance on Fossil Fuels. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://chooseyourcurrent.org/2018/04/8-ways-you-can-reduce-your-reliance-on-fossil-fuels/

Influence of Environmental Factors on Microbial Growth. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nptel.ac.in/courses/102103015/13

The Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/hidden-cost-of-fossils#.XE6MT8HVKxk

Juteau, P., Rho, D., Larocque, R., & LeDuy, A. (1999). Analysis of the relative abundance of different types of bacteria capable of toluene degradation in a compost biofilter. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 52(6), 863-868. doi:10.1007/s002530051604

Qin, Y., Hou, J., Deng, M., Liu, Q., Wu, C., Ji, Y., & He, X. (2016). Bacterial abundance and diversity in pond water supplied with different feeds. Scientific Reports, 6(1). doi:10.1038/srep35232

Trabalka, J. (1985). Atmospheric carbon dioxide and the global carbon cycle. doi:10.2172/6048470