How do land use practices (particularly in forests and agriculture) affect and are affected by the carbon cycle, according to the lecture?

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The question asks how land use practices, especially in forests and agriculture, affect and are affected by the carbon cycle as discussed in the lecture.
Option 1: 'The primary effect of converting forests to farmland is a change in local water and nutrient cycles, with little direct influence on global carbon storage because soil carbon levels are assumed to remain constant.' This is inaccurate because deforestation and land conversion are known to have substantial impacts on global carbon storage; removing forests releases significant carbon from biomass and soils, and thus affects the global carbon cycle more than a mere local water/nutrient shift.
Option 2: 'Forests serve as major carbon sinks by absorbing CO₂ through photosynthesis, and converting forests to agricultural lands releases carbon stored in trees and soils.' This aligns with core carbon cycle concepts: forests sequester carbon via photosynthesis, storing it in biomass and soils, and deforestation or land-use change releases that stored carbon back into the atmosphere, altering atmospheric CO2 levels and the carbon balance.
Option 3: 'Land use changes mainly affect biodiversity and water dynamics, with the impact on carbon storage considered secondary and negligible compared to the dominant role of oceanic carbon absorption.' While biodiversity and hydrology are important, it wrongly minimizes land-use impacts on carbon storage. Oceanic uptake is a key reservoir, but land-use changes do significantly affect terrestrial carbon pools; the claim that the carbon impact is negligible is incorrect.
Option 4: 'Although forests and agricultural lands both store carbon, the carbon released during deforestation is largely offset by enhanced crop growth, suggesting a minimal net impact on the carbon cycle' This overstates any offsetting effects; crop growth does not compensate the large, rapid carbon releases from deforestation, and net atmospheric CO2 often increases following deforestation, contradicting the notion of minimal net impact.
In summary, Option 2 correctly captures the bidirectional relationship: forests act as carbon sinks, and converting them to agricultural land releases stored carbon, influencing the carbon cycle in both directions.

CLMTC5008_001_2025_3 - Climate Change Mitigation Quiz 6 | November 10th

How do land use practices (particularly in forests and agriculture) affect and are affected by the carbon cycle, according to the lecture?

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