To determine how much carbon dioxide a forest absorbs annually, given the specific absorption rate and total area, we can follow these steps:
1. Identify the absorption rate: The forest absorbs 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide per hectare each year.
2. Identify the total area of the forest: The forest covers 100 hectares.
3. Calculate the total annual absorption:
- Multiply the absorption rate per hectare by the total number of hectares.
- That is,
[tex]\[
\text{Total CO2 absorption} = \text{Absorption rate per hectare} \times \text{Total hectares}
\][/tex]
4. Substitute the given values into the formula:
- Absorption rate per hectare = 20 metric tons
- Total hectares = 100
[tex]\[
\text{Total CO2 absorption} = 20 \, \text{metric tons/hectare/year} \times 100 \, \text{hectares}
\][/tex]
5. Perform the multiplication:
[tex]\[
20 \, \text{metric tons/hectare/year} \times 100 \, \text{hectares} = 2000 \, \text{metric tons/year}
\][/tex]
Therefore, the forest absorbs 2000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
