EARTH SCIENCE
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
|
Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
|
|
|
They take in carbon dioxide and help slow global warming.
|
|
|
They decrease precipitation by absorbing water from the atmosphere.
|
|
|
They warm the Earth by absorbing and reradiating heat energy.
|
|
|
They interfere with winds and prevent the global redistribution of heat.
|
Detailed explanation-1: -Forests are nature’s atmospheric carbon sink; plants take in atmospheric carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and convert the carbon into sugars and plant materials through the process of photosynthesis. The carbon is stored within the trees, vegetation, and soil of the forests.
Detailed explanation-2: -Forests help to slow the rate of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. This is a direct effect, as the primary driver of climate change is the over-abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Detailed explanation-3: -Forests are also one of the most important solutions to addressing the effects of climate change. Approximately 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, is absorbed by forests every year.
Detailed explanation-4: -Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. This is converted into carbon and stored in the plant’s branches, leaves, trunks, roots and in the soil. When forests are cleared or burnt, stored carbon is released into the atmosphere, mainly as carbon dioxide.
Detailed explanation-5: -Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas that helps to trap heat in our atmosphere. Without it, our planet would be inhospitably cold. However, an increase in CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere is causing average global temperatures to rise, disrupting other aspects of Earth’s climate.