Scientists previously referred to the long-ago deposited plant and animal remains, now buried, compacted, and transformed into coal and oil, as the dead-end of the carbon cycle. Since the Industrial Revolution, that would be an inaccurate statement. Examine the model and explain.
Responses
A The carbon found in coal and oil is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.The carbon found in coal and oil is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
B Factories burning coal and oil deposit industrial wastes that add carbon back into the environment.Factories burning coal and oil deposit industrial wastes that add carbon back into the environment.
C The carbon stored in the coal and oil combines with water in the atmosphere and falls back to Earth.The carbon stored in the coal and oil combines with water in the atmosphere and falls back to Earth.
D The combustion of coal and oil releases nitrogen by-products into the environment to be used again by man.
A The carbon found in coal and oil is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
B Factories burning coal and oil deposit industrial wastes that add carbon back into the environment.
C The carbon stored in the coal and oil combines with water in the atmosphere and falls back to Earth.
D The combustion of coal and oil releases nitrogen by-products into the environment to be used again by man.
The correct response is:
A The carbon found in coal and oil is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
The burning of coal and oil releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, contributing to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since the Industrial Revolution. This means that the carbon stored in these fossil fuels is not a dead-end in the carbon cycle, but instead is being re-introduced into the environment.