Why does clearing forests using fire contribute to the greenhouse effect?(1 point)
Responses
A. Burning trees returns stored oxygen to the atmosphere as a gas.
B. Burning trees returns stored carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
C. Burning trees returns stored nitrogen to the atmosphere as nitrous oxide.
D. Burning trees returns stored methane to the atmosphere as a gas.
B. Burning trees returns stored carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
The correct answer is B. Burning trees returns stored carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
To understand why clearing forests using fire contributes to the greenhouse effect, it's important to know that trees store carbon dioxide through a process called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen while storing the carbon in their tissues.
When forests are cleared using fire, the heat from the fire causes the stored carbon in the trees to be released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat and contributes to global warming and climate change. Therefore, the burning of trees not only removes the carbon storage capacity of forests but also adds to the overall concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect.
It's worth noting that burning trees also releases other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrogen oxides (which can form nitrous oxide), but the primary greenhouse gas released during forest fires is carbon dioxide.