?One mystery in environmental science is the imbalance in the “carbon dioxide budget.”

Chapter 18, Problem 18.10

(choose chapter or problem)

One mystery in environmental science is the imbalance in the “carbon dioxide budget.” Considering only human activities, scientists have estimated that 1.6 billion metric tons of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) is added to the atmosphere every year because of deforestation (plants use \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\), and fewer plants will leave more \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) in the atmosphere). Another 5.5 billion tons per year is put into the atmosphere because of burning fossil fuels. It is further estimated (again, considering only human activities) that the atmosphere actually takes up about 3.3 billion tons of this \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) per year, while the oceans take up 2 billion tons per year, leaving about 1.8 billion tons of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) per year unaccounted for. Describe a mechanism by which \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) is removed from the atmosphere and ultimately ends up below the surface (Hint: What is the source of the fossil fuels?). [Sections 18.1–18.3]

Text Transcription:

{CO}_{2}