A new industrial complex is being built. How is this most likely to impact the carbon cycle?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating how a new industrial complex could affect the carbon cycle, it helps to consider where carbon enters or leaves the atmosphere.
Option 1 suggests a reduction in CO2 from tree respiration in a cleared forest. While clearing vegetation can reduce ongoing respiration from living trees, it typically leads to net CO2 release from disturbances (soil exposure, decomposition) and from burning or decay of biomass, rather than a simple, sustained reduction. This makes the statement incomplete or misleading about the overall cycle.
Option 2 proposes an increased release of CO2 from fossil fuels due to new sources from the plant. In industrial development, construction and ongoing operation usually involve energy use that relies on burning fossil fuels (machinery, electricity, transportation). This adds CO2 to the atmosphere through combustion, so the mechanism described is consistent with how industrial activity tends to impact atmospheric CO2 levels.
Option 3 claims less CO2 in the atmosphere because of reduced soil surface area. In reality, disturbance from construction often increases soil exposure and can accelerate carbon release from soil organic matter, or, at minimum, disrupts carbon storage. A reduction in soil surface area alone does not reliably produce a net drop in atmospheric CO2, and is unlikely to be the dominant effect here.
Option 4 states increased atmospheric CO2 due to fertilizer runoff of carbon compounds. Fertilizers primarily supply nutrients; they do not introduce substantial amounts of carbon compounds that would directly raise atmospheric CO2 through runoff. The main carbon sources are fossil fuel combustion and biomass disturbance, not fertilizer-derived carbon runoff, so this option misattributes the carbon pathway.
Overall, the reasoning centers on identifying where carbon fluxes are most plausibly altered by building and operating a new industrial complex, with fossil fuel combustion being a primary driver of additional atmospheric CO2 in this scenario.

SCI-BIO B Ecology Module Exam

A new industrial complex is being built. How is this most likely to impact the carbon cycle?

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