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Team Carbon Sinks

Team: Jordan Adair, Marisa Cicale, Mark Hofberg, John Junghans, Heather Kerrick, George Luo, Michael

Mercado, Sam Oliver, Sue O’Neill, Dan Remer, Matt Schulzinger, Ryan Shofnos, Hannah Tolley, Wesley Tse

Mentor: Dr. Ning Zeng/Jay GreggLibrarian: Marian Burright

Team Carbon Sinks will develop an effective, economically feasible, and environmentally friendly method for sequestration of carbon in dead trees.

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Agenda

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• Background

• Introduce project

• Methodology

• Conclusion

Background

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Carbon Cycle

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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• Created by the United Nations

• Published Fourth Assessment Report in Spring 2007

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Statistics from 4th Assessment

• Increase in atmospheric CO2

concentrations over the past 50 years is the result of human activity

• By 2100, temperatures will rise between 2-11.5 degrees F and sea levels will rise 88 cm without changes in human activity

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Kyoto Protocol

• Part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

• Goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

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Reducing Greenhouse Gases

• Alternative fuels

• Carbon Sequestration• Carbon Sinks

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Introduction to Project

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• Lack of research about sequestering carbon naturally stored in wood

• Used Dr. Zeng’s research to explore how to maximize forests’ carbon capacity

Aim of Project

• Develop a process that effectively slows the natural decomposition of wood by depriving it of oxygen

• Applicable throughout North Atlantic Forests

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Basic Assumptions

• Sequestered carbon will have monetary value in the future

• Companies or private land owners should be easily able to reproduce the process

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Hypothesis

• By placing biomass in an anaerobic environment, it is possible to slow the decay and effectively create a carbon sink

Methodology

• 76 Loblolly pine disks, 10 cm thick:– 15 for submergence in water– Bury the rest in 15 columns,

one disc at:– 10, 40, and 80 cm– Control on surface

• Measurements every 4 months

• Remove 3 columns, 3 discs from water.

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Water submersion

• Oyster cage will hold discs

• Will keep discs close to, but not in contact, with the bottom of the pond

• Regular analysis of water composition more necessary than soil analysis.

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Measurement

• Soil, water composition

• Measures of decay• Mass• Density• Carbon content

• These factors will be re-examined upon removal – discs will not be returned.

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Wye Research and Education Center

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• Eastern Shore representative of Northeast Coast– Previously farmed land

– Most prevalent in Atlantic Coast area

• Facilitates future use of our method

Eastern Shore

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Current Status

• What we have already done:– Found site– Obtained wood to be buried/submerged– Contact information for soil lab– Developed experimental methodology

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Future Plans

• Begin actual experiment within the month– Bury and submerge wood– Collect initial soil samples

• Contact soil labs, compare services

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Questions?

Thank you: Dr. Ning Zeng, Jay Gregg,

Marian Burright, Dr. Bruce James,

Dr. Wallace, Rebecca Thomas, and the Gemstone staff

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