The charts below show data compiled from ice core drilling sites located in Greenland and Antarctica.
How does the data provide evidence that the drastic change in gas concentration is NOT part of a natural cycle? (4 marks)
→ The concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane remained stable until around 1750. From 1750 to the present, methane levels increased by 200% and carbon dioxide by 40%.
→ This rise is mainly due to the Industrial Revolution, which began in 1760 and brought significant advances in manufacturing and agriculture.
→ Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, both of which have accelerated over time, have driven the increase in these gases.
→ While methane is partly linked to human activities like farming, it also originates from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions and organic matter breakdown.
→ The growing global population has intensified these processes, further contributing to methane emissions.
→ The concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane remained stable until around 1750. From 1750 to the present, methane levels increased by 200% and carbon dioxide by 40%.
→ This rise is mainly due to the Industrial Revolution, which began in 1760 and brought significant advances in manufacturing and agriculture.
→ Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, both of which have accelerated over time, have driven the increase in these gases.
→ While methane is partly linked to human activities like farming, it also originates from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions and organic matter breakdown.
→ The growing global population has intensified these processes, further contributing to methane emissions.
