Briefly explain the production and natural destruction of carbon ...

[mp14]

Briefly explain the production and natural destruction of carbon dioxide near Earths surface. Give two reasons for the increase of carbon dioxide over the past 100-plus years.
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

A decreasing number of fish have been recorded in a nearby lake. Design a research project, utilizing the scientific method, to explain this observation. List and explain every step of your research.
  What will be an ideal response?

[ju]

Answer to Question 1

ANSWER: Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through vegetation decay, volcanic eruptions, exhalations of animal life, the burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation. Removal occurs via photosynthesis and oceanic uptake. Increasing CO2 occurs due to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Answer to Question 2

ANSWER: The steps within the scientific method involve creating a hypothesis, predicting an outcome, describing that outcome's implications, and proposing ways to test the hypothesis.

A good hypothesis would be that fish number is decreasing because fish are dying due to an increase in temperature and a lack of oxygen in the water. If this hypothesis is true, fish stocks should continue to decrease until all fish are gone. Implications could include explanations that the overall fish population in the area will decrease, with some species potentially becoming extinct.

To test the hypothesis, it would be necessary to measure the water temperature of the lake and to compare it to that of nearby lakes. Researching past records of water temperature obtained by other researchers or government agencies (e.g., fish or wildlife services) would also be advantageous. In addition, researchers must collect water samples and test them for oxygen content and potential pollutants. To ensure representative data, each scientific test should contain replicates.