BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES

OBJECTIVES
● Understand how simulation models can be used to explore the relationships between
variables within an ecosystem
● Identify key components of the carbon cycle that are affected by human activity

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The content of this lab is derived from: Carbon lab

A. INTRODUCTION

This lab uses a robust model of the carbon cycle to give you an intuitive sense for how
carbon circulates through the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and crust. This model is
similar to ones presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It allows you
to experiment with how human input to the cycle might change global outcomes to the year
2100 and beyond. One particularly relevant human impact is the increase in atmospheric CO 2
levels. Between the years 1850 and 2015, atmospheric concentrations have risen from 290
parts per million (ppm) to over 400 ppm - a level higher than any known on Earth in more
than 30 million years. Using the simulator, you will experiment with the human factors that
contribute to this rise and explore how different inputs to the carbon cycle might affect the
concentrations of the greenhouse gas CO2.

B. CARBON CYCLE

1. Run the simulation to 2110 with the default settings, and record the total carbon levels in
each "sink" (terrestrial plants, soil, oil and gas, coal, surface ocean, and deep ocean) at 2060
and 2110 in Table 1. Note: The default setting for the increase in fossil fuel use per year is
2.5%. This rate of increase has been our recent experience for the increase in global energy
use, as the world's economies ramp up and populations grow.

Table 1.
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
Gaseous Carbon Ocean Water Fossil Fuels Biosphere Gaseous
Carbon

To Atmosphere Ocean Deep Oil and Coal Soil Terrestrial

Year Surface Ocean Gas Plants

2060 1105 1000+ 38000 + 0 3114 1800 + 766

610ppm CO2 123 CO2 273 242

2110 2502 1000+383 38000 +1348 0 0 1800+ 950

1381 378

2. If only one half of the flora in the world existed in 2110 (perhaps due to deforestation),
what do you predict the atmospheric carbon level would be ?

1100+ 607ppm CO2

3. What is the relationship between increased carbon in the ocean and increased carbon in
the soil? How else might carbon be transferred to soil?

Direct, because as you increase 1 you increase the other due to the terrestrial plant and oceanic
plankton requirements of water, nutrients and CO2.

4. What is the relationship between the percentage increase in fossil fuel consumption and
the increase in atmospheric carbon. Is the relationship linear?

With the increase in consumption of fossils fuel the amount of carbon in terrestrial plant will also
increase until we run out of coal and it declines but extra carbon will go somewhere.

5. In many scenarios, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is projected to increase beyond

700 ppm by the end of the century. However, this increase in atmospheric carbon doesn't
account for all of the carbon released by burning fossil fuels.

To find out where all the carbon really goes, run the simulation again, one decade at a time.
Record the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere (the number in the sky) and other
carbon sinks (terrestrial plants, soil, surface ocean, and deep ocean), as carbon moves
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
through the system. Note that 1 ppm of atmospheric CO2 is equivalent to 2.1 GT (Gigatons)
of carbon. As you record your data, keep in mind that this is a simulation of real life.

Table 2.
Total Carbon Gaseous Ocean Water Fossil Fuels Biosphere Gaseous
Emissions Carbon Carbon

To Year Smokestack Atmosphere Ocean Deep Oil and Coal Soil Terrestrial
Surface Ocean Gas Plants

2030 132 815 368 3400 719

450ppm 1000+52p 38000+5 1800+20
pm 8ppm 8

2040 167 889 1000+71 274 3328 732

490ppm 38000+1 1800+21
10 7

2050 213 983 1000+94 38000+1 153 3236 1800+22 747

542ppm 80 8

2060 273 1105 1000+123 38000+2 0 3114 766

610ppm 70 1800+24
2

2070 436 1332 1000+169 0 2678 1800+25 791

735ppm 38000+3 9
89

2080 558 1616 1000+225 38000+5 0 2120 281 824

892ppm 52

2090 714 1988 1000+289 38000+7 0 1406 1800+30 864

1097ppm 63 9

2100 914 2484 1000+364 38000+1 0 491 1800+34 909

1370ppm 030 2

2110 434 2502 1000+383 0 0 1800+37 950

1381 38000+1 8
348

6. What is the relationship between an increase in fossil fuel consumption and increased carbon
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
in terrestrial plants?

Direct relationship, the increase in consumption of fossils increase CO 2 in terrestrial plants.

7. What is the relationship between an increase in total carbon concentration (the smokestack)
and increased carbon in the ocean surface? How might this change marine life populations?

Direct, increase in total carbon conc. Will increase carbon on ocean surface, it will population
density in marine life.

8. In addition to circulating through the carbon cycle, where else might excess carbon be
found?

The most of earth’s carbon is stored in oceans.

How does carbon move?

Atmosphere: combustion of carbon-based fuel combines carbon, C, and oxygen, O 2, adding CO2 to
the atmosphere. CO2 is not a by-product of fossil fuel use; it's the direct product of the very reaction
that releases the energy.

Biosphere (Terrestrial Plants and Soil): plants (biomass) inhale CO2 and exhale O2. When there's
more CO2 available, biomass tends to breathe in more, and therefore grow more. Most scientists
now believe that plants have a limited ability to increase their growth rate. (See the Unit 12 video.)

Surface ocean: The amount of gas dissolved in any liquid is proportional to the partial pressure of
that gas in the vapor phase above the liquid (Henry's Law). As a result, if we increase the partial
pressure of atmospheric CO2 (i.e. increase the concentration of CO2), then we force more CO2 gas to
dissolve into the liquid. (In this case, the liquid is the ocean.) In addition to the CO 2 dissolving into
the liquid as a gas, CO2 reacts with H2O and forms bicarbonate ions (HCO3-) and carbonate ions
(CO3--). This combustion of fossil fuels results in an increase in dissolved surface ocean carbon and a
decrease in pH.

Deep ocean: Ocean chemistry involves mineral precipitation, and biological activity, and ocean
currents transport the carbon from the surface ocean to the deep ocean over long time-scales.

C. CURB EMISSIONS
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
In a best-case (but very unrealistic) scenario, imagine that scientists suddenly discovered an
unlimited, clean, and cheap fuel source that emitted no CO 2 into the atmosphere, thus bringing fossil
fuel use down to zero. What would happen? Would the carbon cycle naturally bring atmospheric
CO2 levels back to pre-industrial levels (below 280 ppm)?

Press the "NONE" button next to fossil fuel use to bring CO2 emissions to zero in the simulation.
Then run the simulation for a hundred or more years to see what happens. Record your data and
compare it to your previous entries.

Table 3.
Gaseous Carbon Ocean Water Biosphere Gaseous Carbon

To Year Atmosphere Ocean Surface Deep Ocean Soil Terrestrial Plants

2060 652 1000+10 38000+62 1800+199 697

360ppm

2110 639 1000+7 38000+89 1800+193 692

353ppm

9. How have atmospheric carbon levels changed?

It has decreased drastically , with on-going decrease each decade

10. Without any fossil fuel consumption, which parts of the cycle have improved their
carbon levels in comparison to previous data?

Gaseous carbon, ocean water and bio-spherical levels of carbon have improved

Reducing carbon emissions to zero is far from realistic. Many scientists agree that a doubling of the
pre-industrial CO2 concentration to approximately 550 ppm is a reasonable target to shoot for in
order to avoid the most serious impacts on climate and ecosystems. How much of a change in fossil
fuel consumption would we have to make to limit atmospheric CO 2 to that level?

Return to the simulation and change the annual percentage increase in fossil fuel usage until you
can keep atmospheric CO2 below 550 ppm in 2100. Once you have found an appropriate level of
fossil fuel percentage increase, predict what would happen if fuel use stayed at that percentage
increase and deforestation decreased.
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
11. In fifty years, if deforestation were decreased 50%, how would the carbon levels in the
soil change?

The carbon level in soil will increase in in fifty years

12. Run the simulation to test your hypothesis. Were you correct? Were you surprised by the
result?

No. it supported my hypothesis that increased fossil fuel consumption and deforestation lead to
higher levels of carbon in atmosphere and oceans.

Table 4.

To Year Net Def. Rate Fossil Fuel % Atmosphere Deep Ocean

Increase

2010 0.5 0.3 720 38000+0

390ppm

2060 0.5 0.3 861 38000+194

475ppm

2100 0.5 0.3 972 38000+454

536ppm

13. What effect does a high carbon level have on the deep ocean? Why might it be important
to keep an eye on the deep ocean carbon levels? What could that one number tell you
about the cycle as a whole?

High conc. of CO2 will make it harder for the marine population to respire avoid predator and

reproduce.

D. TAKE AWAY
 BIO 100 LAB 15: NUTRIENT CYCLES
After completing this lab, you might be having an emotional response to the complexity of this
environmental challenge. Read the following article and summarize three approaches that you
could use to channel your energy into positive action.

We can eat less beef, because cows generate methane; fly less often, because flying generates
carbon; and walk instead of drive or take a bus

Advocate for smart policies and leave a better future for our coming generations

Connect with each other who are like minded , we can still influence it individually