Carbon Chemistry

CO2 CH2O CH4

oxidized reduced

low energy high energy

chemistry oflife

chemistry of the earth

CO2 + H2O CH2O + O2

photosynthesis

respiration

organiccarbonburial

atmosphericO2

Organic carbon on Earth

KerogenMinable coalOilGas Clathrates

1,200,0005,000

200300

5,000

Gton C

Natural Carbon Cycle

300

310

320

330

340

350

360

370

380

390

400

300

310

320

330

340

350

360

370

380

390

400

1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Atm

osp

he

ric p

CO

2,

ppm

Atm

osp

her

ic p

CO

2, p

pm

Year

Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Barrow, Alaska

300

250

200CO

2 (

ppm

)

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

T,

C

0100200300400

Age (kyr BP)

0.30.40.50.60.70.8

Me

tha

ne ( p

pm

)

Oil Distribution

Oil Reserve/Production

BellCurve

PopsicleCurve

Resource Extraction Rate

Time

Hubbert’s Peak

Sperm Oil Hubbert

0

1

2

3

4

1900 1950 2000 2050

U.S. Oil Production

Bill

ion

Ba

rrel

s p

er

yea

r

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Gto

n C

per yea

r

U.S. Oil Hubbert

Hubbertwas here

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1900 1950 2000 2050 2100

World Oil Production

Hubbert Peaks

200 Gton Ceventual

500 Gton Ceventual

117 Gton Calready

extracted

Bill

ion

bar

rels

per

yea

r

Year

World Oil Hubbert

Methane hydrates

Seawater

Ocean Temperature

Clathrate MeltingTemperature

Sediment+ Seawater+ Bubbles

Sediment+ Seawater+ Clathrate

Mud

0 10 20 30

5

4

3

2

1

0

Temperature, °C

Depth, km

Clathrate Sensitivity to Temperature

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

-4 -2 0 2 4 6

Ste

ady

Sta

te M

eth

an

e In

ven

tory

, G

ton

C

Ocean Temperature, Offset from Present Day

Coal

Oil/GasLGM

Today Future?

Global United States

PetroleumGasCoalNuclearHydroRenewables

France Denmark

Japan China India Brazil

Energy

Oil Use

residentialcommercialindustrytransportationelectricity

Gas Use

Coal Use

Electricity Use

U.S. Energy

Energy ConsumptionPer Person

0

2

4

6

8

10

12ki

loW

atts

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Glo

bal

U.S

.

Fra

nce

Den

ma

rk

Japa

n

Chi

na

Ind

ia

Bra

zil

tera

Wa

tts

Energy Consumption

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Energy Consumptionper Dollar GDP

Wa

tts

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Gas Oil Coal

Carbon Emission per Energy Yield

Gto

n C

per

te

raW

att

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Carbon released per person

me

tric

ton

s

0

0.1

0.2

0.30.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Glo

bal

U.S

.

Fra

nc e

Den

ma

rk

Japa

n

Chi

na

Ind

ia

Bra

zil

Carbon per dollar GDP

kilo

gra

ms

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Bill

ion

me

tric

ton

s ( G

ton

)

Carbon release in CO2 per year

Climate

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000

Ocean Invasion, 300 years

Reaction with CaCO3, 5000 years

Reaction with Igneous Rocks, 400,000 years

Year A.D.

CO2 ReleaseLong Lifetime of CO2

400

420

440

460

480

500

520

540

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Kyr Before Present

Inso

latio

n, W

/ m2

Ice

Vo

lum

e

i0Trigger-minima

Red = Trigger-minima events

Cri

t ical

Inso

latio

n i 0

, W

/ m2

pCO2

400

410

420

430

440

450

460

470

100 200 300 400 500 600

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Time, kyrPast Future

pC

O2,

atm

Ins ol a

ti on

, 5000 Gton C

1000

a

c

i0

300 Gton C

Interglacial Periods

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

Glo

ba

l T O

ffse

t, °

C d

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-500 -400 -300

-200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500

b

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Carbon Sequestration