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Lesson 1 The Carbon Cycle

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Lesson 1 The Carbon Cycle

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    1. Lesson 1 The Carbon Cycle Part of Life Part of Agriculture

    2. Acknowledgments Don Reicosky - Soil scientist with US Dept of Agriculture & Agriculture Research Service His research provided the inspiration and information for these lessons.

    3. Part of all living things (and some non-living stuff)

    5. Important Summary Points Carbon (as CO2) is accumulated… Photosynthesis uses sunlight to make carbohydrate from CO2. Carbon (as CO2) is released… Respiration - carbon is oxidized for energy. Combustion - carbon is burned Weathering - rain (slightly acidic) weathers calcium carbonate rocks

    6. Carbon Cycle Has Been In Balance for Millions of Years But in the last century CO2 levels have been creeping up. Why?

    7. Carbon Cycle Has Been In Balance for Millions of Years But in the last century CO2 levels have been creeping up. Why? - (burning of fossil fuels).

    8. Lesson 2 Greenhouse gasses, organic matter and agriculture CO2 - the main greenhouse gas Organic matter is mostly carbon Good soil high in organic matter

    9. The Greenhouse Effect Think of the inside of a car in the summer…

    11. The Greenhouse Effect is a Good Thing

    12. Venus has too much of a good thing…

    13. Major Greenhouse Gasses Water vapor Does much to keep planet warm. We have no control over water vapor. CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas. Levels increasing because of fossil fuel burning. We should be concerned about this one.

    14. Other Greenhouse Gasses Methane - from wetlands, ruminants and commercial production. 20-30 times more potent than CO2. Levels going up slowly. Nitrogen oxides (NOx or NxO) - formed during combustion from N2 that’s in air. 200-300 times more potent than CO2. Chloroflurocarbons (CFC’s) - Foam insulation, refrigeration gas, used to be an aerosol propellant. Being phased out. Ozone - formed from lightning, electrical arcs, and a reaction of gas vapors and sunlight.

    16. Agriculture & the Carbon Cycle Organic matter (mostly carbon) affects soil quality. Crop residues create organic matter. Manure adds organic matter.

    17. How Farmers Can Help Intensive tillage, burning fuels, use of equipment, adds CO2 to the atmosphere No-till systems remove CO2. Images courtesy Don Reicosky

    18. Why no-till systems are good Organic matter stays put. Earthworms thrive. Root channels remain undisturbed. Prevents soil from crusting. Water holding capacity improves. Nutrient exchange improved. Crop residues stay on surface. Soil compaction reduced. Long term crop production improved.

    19. Important Summary Points for Lesson 2 Greenhouse gasses like CO2 help keep the planet warm. This is good. But too much CO2 may lead to global warming. Agriculture can remove CO2 from the atmosphere if no-till systems are used. No-till systems also provide a multitude of advantages, and increase long-term crop production.

    20. Lesson 3 Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Credits Soon power plants may have to pay for the carbon they emit. Farmers may get compensated for the carbon they remove from the atmosphere.

    21. Remember our carbon cycle

    22. With no-till, plants put CO2 into the soil and it stays put

    23. Should Farmers Be Paid for For the Carbon They Put Back into the Soil? Maybe

    24. Here’s an Imaginary Example

    25. So the Power Plant offers to buy carbon credits from a group of farmers.

    26. Here’s a Real Example In 2002, Entergy paid $75,000 to Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association. This deal was arranged to save (sequester) 3,000 tons of CO2 per year. 6,470 no till acres.

    27. No-till really helps - here are some other methods Deep ocean injection (being researched). Oil and gas reservoirs (use CO2 to push out oil or gas). Un-mineable coal seams (replace methane with CO2). Saline formations (adsorb CO2 onto salt). Store as minerals (magnesium carbonate).

    28. Carbon Sequestration Summary Points We can help the fossil carbon cycle… By managing the biological carbon cycle.

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