\u003e Carbon dioxide concentration

Scientists have long suspected that the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is directly related to global warming, but as it turns out, carbon dioxide may be directly related to our health. Humans are the main source of carbon dioxide production in a room, as we breathe out 18 to 25 liters of this gas per hour. A high volume of carbon dioxide can be observed in all areas where people are: in school classrooms and college auditoriums, in meeting rooms and office spaces, in bedrooms and children's rooms.

The fact that we do not have enough oxygen in a stuffy room is a myth. Calculations show that, contrary to the existing stereotype, headache, weakness, and other symptoms in a person occur in a room not from a lack of oxygen, but from a high concentration of carbon dioxide.

Until recently, in European countries and the United States, the level of carbon dioxide in a room was measured only in order to check the quality of ventilation, and it was believed that CO2 is dangerous to humans only in high concentrations. Studies on the effect on the human body of carbon dioxide at a concentration of approximately 0.1% appeared quite recently.

Few people know that clean air outside the city contains about 0.04% carbon dioxide, and the closer the CO2 content in the room is to this figure, the better a person feels.

Are we aware of the impact of poor indoor air quality on our health and the health of our children? Do we understand how high indoor carbon dioxide affects our performance and student achievement? Can we understand why we and our children are so tired at the end of the day? Are we able to solve the problem of our morning fatigue and irritability, as well as bad night sleep?

A group of European scientists have conducted research on how high (approximately 0.1-0.2%) levels of carbon dioxide in classrooms affect the body of schoolchildren. Studies have shown that more than half of schoolchildren regularly experience the negative effects of high CO2 levels, and the consequence of this is that problems with the respiratory system, rhinitis and a weak nasopharynx are observed in such children much more often than in other children.

As a result of studies carried out in Europe and the United States, it was revealed that an increased level of CO2 in the classroom leads to a decrease in the attention of students, to a deterioration in academic performance, as well as to an increase in the number of absenteeism due to illness. This is especially true for children with asthma.

Such studies have never been carried out in Russia. However, as a result of a comprehensive survey of Moscow children and adolescents in 2004-2004. it turned out that among the diseases discovered in young Muscovites, respiratory diseases predominate.

As a result of recent studies by Indian scientists among the inhabitants of the city of Kolkata, it was found that even in low concentrations, carbon dioxide is a potentially toxic gas. The scientists concluded that carbon dioxide is similar in toxicity to nitrogen dioxide, taking into account its effects on the cell membrane and biochemical changes in human blood, such as acidosis. Long-term acidosis, in turn, leads to diseases of the cardiovascular system, hypertension, fatigue and other adverse consequences for the human body.

Residents of a large metropolis are exposed to the negative effects of carbon dioxide from morning to evening. First, in crowded public transport and in their own cars, which sit in traffic jams for a long time. Then at work, where it is often stuffy and there is nothing to breathe.

It is very important to maintain good air quality in the bedroom. people spend a third of their lives there. In order to sleep well, quality air in the bedroom is much more important than sleep duration, and the level of carbon dioxide in bedrooms and children's rooms should be below 0.08%. High CO2 levels in these rooms can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, throat and eye irritation, headaches and insomnia.

Finnish scientists have found a way to solve this problem based on the axiom that if in nature the level of carbon dioxide is 0.035-0.04%, then in rooms it should be close to this level. The device invented by them removes excess carbon dioxide from the indoor air. The principle is based on the absorption (absorption) of carbon dioxide by a special substance.

Carbon dioxide (CO2).

Carbon dioxide is possibly the most important of all greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by humans, firstly because it causes a strong greenhouse effect and, secondly, because so much of this gas is produced through human fault.

Carbon dioxide is a very "natural" component of the atmosphere - so natural that we have only recently begun to think about anthropogenic carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Carbon dioxide can be a good thing. However, the key question is, at what point does CO2 become too much? Or, in other words, in what quantities does it begin to have a harmful effect on the environment?

What seems natural from the point of view of man today may differ significantly from what was natural for the Earth in the process of its evolutionary development. Human history is only a very thin slice (no more than a few million years) on a geological stratum more than 4.6 billion years old.

Some environmentalists fear that carbon dioxide will lead to catastrophic climate changes, such as those described in Bill McKiben's book Nature's End.

Most likely, carbon dioxide predominated in the early atmosphere of the Earth. Today the CO2 content in the atmosphere is only about 0.03 percent, and the most pessimistic forecasts predict its level to rise to 0.09 percent by 2100. About 4.5 billion years ago, some scientists believe CO2 made up 80 percent of the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, slowly dropping initially to 30-20 percent over the next 2.5 billion years. Free oxygen was practically not found in the early atmosphere and was poisonous to the anaerobic life forms that existed at that time.

The existence of man, as we know today, in conditions of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, was simply impossible. Fortunately for humans and animals, most of the CO2 was removed from the atmosphere later in Earth's history, when the sea inhabitants, the early forms of algae, developed the ability to photosynthesize. In the process of photosynthesis, plants use the energy of the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. In the end, algae and other, more advanced life forms that appeared in the process of evolution (plankton, plants, and trees) perished, binding most of the carbon in various carbon minerals (oil shale, coal and oil) in the earth's crust. What is left in the atmosphere is the oxygen we breathe now.

Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere from a variety of sources - most of which are natural. But the amount of CO2 usually remains at approximately the same level, since there are mechanisms that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Figure 5 gives a simplified diagram of CO2 circulation in the atmosphere).

One of the main natural mechanisms of CO2 circulation is the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the surface of the oceans. This exchange is a very subtle, well-balanced feedback process. The amount of carbon dioxide entrained in it is truly enormous. Scientists measure these amounts in gig tons (Ggt - billion metric tons) of carbon for convenience.

Carbon dioxide dissolves easily in water (the process that produces carbonated water). It also stands out easily from water (in soda water, we see it as a hiss). Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is continuously dissolved in water at the surface of the oceans and released back into the atmosphere. This phenomenon is almost entirely explained by physical and chemical processes. The surface of the world's oceans releases 90 Ggt of carbon annually, and absorbs 92 Ggt of carbon. When scientists compare these two processes, it turns out that the surface of the world's oceans is, in fact, an absorbent of carbon dioxide, that is, it absorbs more CO2 than it releases back into the atmosphere.

The magnitude of carbon dioxide fluxes in the atmosphere / ocean cycle remains the most important factor because small changes in the existing balance can have unpredictable consequences for other natural processes.

Biological processes play no less important role in the circulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. CO2 is essential for photosynthesis. Plants breathe carbon dioxide, absorbing about 102 Ggt of carbon annually. However, plants, animals and other organisms also emit CO2. One of the reasons for the formation of carbon dioxide is explained by the metabolic process - breathing. When breathing, living organisms burn the oxygen they breathe. Humans and other land animals, for example, inhale oxygen to sustain life and exhale carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere as waste. According to calculations, all living organisms on Earth annually exhale about 50 Ggt of carbon.

When plants and animals die, the organic carbon compounds in them are incorporated into the soil or silt in the swamps. Nature composts these products of withered life like a gardener, breaking them down into their constituent parts through various chemical transformations and the work of microorganisms. According to scientists' calculations, when decaying, about 50 Ggt of carbon gets back into the atmosphere.

Thus, the 102 Ggt of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere annually is almost one hundred percent balanced by the 102 Gg tonnes of carbon that enter the atmosphere annually during the respiration and decay of animals and plants. It is necessary to be fully aware of the magnitude of carbon fluxes in nature, since minor deviations in the existing balance can have far-reaching consequences.

Compared to the atmosphere-ocean cycle and the biological cycle, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity seems insignificant at first glance. When burning coal, oil and natural gas, humans release approximately 5.7 Ggt of carbon into the atmosphere (according to IPCC). When deforestation and burning of forests, people add another 2 Gg tons. It should be noted that there are different estimates of the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere from deforestation.

These quantities undoubtedly play a role because the natural carbon cycles (atmosphere / ocean and biological cycle) have long been in a well-regulated equilibrium. At least, the balance was maintained over the time period during which the origin and development of mankind took place. Human industrial and agricultural activities seem to have significantly skewed the carbon balance.

Various scientific studies have shown an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past few centuries. During this time, the planet's population grew exponentially, the steam engine began to be used in industry, cars with internal combustion engines spread throughout the planet, and migrant farmers cleared vast territories of America, Australia and Asia from vegetation.

During the same time, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increased from 280 parts per million (ppmv) of the pre-industrial period (1750) to about 353 ppmv, which is about 25 percent. This amount may be enough to cause significant changes if the climate is indeed sensitive to greenhouse gases to the extent that scientists suggest. Measurements at the Manua Loa Observatory in Hawaii, far from sources of industrial pollution, show a steady rise in CO2 concentrations between 1958 and 1990 (Figure 6). In the last two years, however, there has been no increase in carbon dioxide concentrations.

The close relationship between carbon dioxide concentrations and calculated global average temperatures is astounding (Figure 7)! However, whether this correlation is accidental is still a mystery. It is easy to be tempted to explain temperature fluctuations by fluctuating CO2 concentrations. But the relationship can also be the opposite - a change in temperature can cause a change in the concentration of carbon dioxide.

Very large. Carbon dioxide takes part in the formation of all living matter of the planet and, together with water and methane molecules, creates the so-called "greenhouse (greenhouse) effect".

Carbon dioxide value ( CO 2, dioxide or carbon dioxide) in the life of the biosphere consists primarily in maintaining the process of photosynthesis, which is carried out by plants.

Being greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide in the air affects the heat exchange between the planet and the surrounding space, effectively blocking re-radiated heat at a number of frequencies, and thus participates in the formation.

Recently, there has been an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, which leads to.

Carbon (C) in the atmosphere is contained mainly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO 2) and in small amounts in the form of methane (CH 4), carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbons.

For gases of the atmosphere, the term "gas lifetime" is used. This is the time during which the gas is completely renewed, i.e. the time during which the same amount of gas enters the atmosphere as it contains. So, for carbon dioxide this time is 3-5 years, for methane - 10-14 years. CO is oxidized to CO 2 within a few months.

In the biosphere, the value of carbon is very high, since it is part of all living organisms. Within living beings, carbon is contained in a reduced form, and outside the biosphere - in an oxidized one. Thus, a chemical exchange of the life cycle is formed: CO 2 ↔ living matter.

Sources of carbon in the atmosphere.

The source of the primary carbon dioxide is, during the eruption of which a huge amount of gases are released into the atmosphere. Part of this carbon dioxide arises from the thermal decomposition of ancient limestones in various zones of metamorphism.

Carbon also enters the atmosphere in the form of methane as a result of the anaerobic decomposition of organic residues. Methane under the influence of oxygen is rapidly oxidized to carbon dioxide. The main suppliers of methane to the atmosphere are tropical forests and.

In turn, carbon dioxide of the atmosphere is a source of carbon for other geospheres - the biosphere, etc.

CO 2 migration in the biosphere.

CO 2 migration occurs in two ways:

In the first method, CO 2 is absorbed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and participates in the formation of organic matter with subsequent burial in the form of minerals: peat, oil, oil shale.

In the second method, carbon participates in the creation of carbonates in the hydrosphere. CO 2 goes into H 2 CO 3, HCO 3 -1, CO 3 -2. Then, with the participation of calcium (less often magnesium and iron), the precipitation of carbonates occurs in a biogenic and abiogenic way. Thick strata of limestone and dolomite are formed. According to A.B. Ronov, the ratio of organic carbon (Corg) to carbonate carbon (Ccarb) in the history of the biosphere was 1: 4.

How is the geochemical circulation of carbon in nature and how carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere

Human activities have already reached such proportions that the total content of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has reached the maximum permissible values. Natural systems - land, atmosphere, ocean, are under destructive influence.

Important facts

For example, these include chlorofluorocarbons. These gas impurities emit and absorb solar radiation, which is reflected in the planet's climate. Collectively, CO 2, other gaseous compounds that end up in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases.

Historical reference

He warned that an increase in the volume of fuel burned could lead to a violation of the radiation balance of the Earth.

Modern realities

Today, a larger amount of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere from fuel combustion, as well as due to the changes that occur in nature due to deforestation and an increase in agricultural land.

The mechanism of the effect of carbon dioxide on wildlife

The rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing the greenhouse effect. If carbon monoxide (IV) is transparent with short-wave solar radiation, then it absorbs long-wave radiation, emitting energy in all directions. As a result, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases significantly, the Earth's surface heats up, and the lower layers of the atmosphere become hot. With a further increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, global climate change is possible.

That is why it is important to predict the total carbon dioxide content in the Earth's atmosphere.

Sources of release to the atmosphere

Among them, industrial emissions can be distinguished. The content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing due to anthropogenic emissions. Economic growth directly depends on the amount of burnt natural resources, since many industries are energy-consuming enterprises.

The results of statistical studies indicate that since the end of the last century, in many countries, there has been a decrease in unit energy consumption with a significant increase in electricity prices.

Its effective use is achieved through the modernization of the technological process, vehicles, the use of new technologies in the construction of production workshops. Some developed industrial countries have moved from the development of the processing and raw material industries to the development of those areas that are engaged in the manufacture of the final product.

In large metropolitan areas with a serious industrial base, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are significantly higher, since CO2 is often a by-product of industries whose activities satisfy the needs of education and medicine.

In developing countries, a significant increase in the use of high quality fuel per capita is considered a serious factor for the transition to a higher standard of living. Currently, the idea is being put forward according to which the continuation of economic growth and an increase in living standards is possible without increasing the amount of fuel burned.

Depending on the region, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ranges from 10 to 35%.

The relationship between energy consumption and CO2 emissions

To begin with, energy is not produced just to get it. In developed industrial countries, most of it is used in industry, for heating and cooling buildings, for transport. Studies carried out by large scientific centers have shown that using energy-saving technologies can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the earth's atmosphere.

For example, scientists were able to calculate that if the United States switched to less energy-intensive technologies in the production of consumer goods, this would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by 25%. Globally, this would reduce the problem of the greenhouse effect by 7%.

Carbon in nature

Analyzing the problem related to the emission of carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere, we note that carbon, which is part of it, is vital for the existence of biological organisms. Its ability to form complex carbon chains (covalent bonds) gives rise to the protein molecules necessary for life. The biogenic carbon cycle is a complex process, since it includes not only the functioning of living things, but also the transfer of inorganic compounds between different carbon reservoirs, as well as within them.

These include the atmosphere, continental mass, including soil, as well as the hydrosphere, lithosphere. Over the past two centuries, changes in carbon fluxes have been observed in the biofer-atmosphere-hydrosphere system, which in its intensity significantly exceeds the rate of the geological processes of transfer of this element. That is why you need to limit yourself to considering the relationships within the system, including the soil.

Serious studies concerning the determination of the quantitative content of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere have been carried out since the middle of the last century. The pioneer in such calculations was Killing, who works at the famous Mauna Loa Observatory.

The analysis of observations showed that changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are influenced by the photosynthesis cycle, the destruction of plants on land, as well as the annual temperature change in the World Ocean. During the experiments, it was possible to find out that the quantitative content of carbon dioxide in the northern hemisphere is significantly higher. Scientists have suggested that this is due to the fact that most of the anthropogenic input falls on this earthly hemisphere.

For the analysis, they were taken without special methods, in addition, the relative and absolute calculation errors were not taken into account. Thanks to the analysis of air bubbles that were contained in the ice cores, the researchers were able to establish data on the content of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere in the range of 1750-1960.

Conclusion

Over the past centuries, there have been significant changes in continental ecosystems, the reason was the increase in anthropogenic impact. With an increase in the quantitative content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of our planet, the greenhouse effect increases, which negatively affects the existence of living organisms. That is why it is important to switch to energy-saving technologies that reduce the release of CO 2 into the atmosphere.