Certainly, let's fill in the blanks for Martha's report based on the given data:
Landfill Methane
Humans produce a huge amount of waste every day. Landfills were designed to combat this large amount of waste by accumulating and disposing of it. Organic waste from landfills undergoes decomposition in the absence of oxygen, producing gases. Methane gas is a large percentage of the gases emitted from landfills.
Blank 1:
Given:
- Residence Time (T) = 8 years
- Mass (m) = 4.3 × 10^15 g
Using the formula:
[tex]\[ \text{Flow Rate} = \frac{m}{T} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Flow Rate} = \frac{4.3 \times 10^{15} \text{ g}}{8 \text{ years}} \][/tex]
The flow rate of methane is [tex]\(537500000000000.0 \text{ g/year}\)[/tex].
So the first blank is:
[tex]\[
\boxed{537500000000000.0 \text{ g/year}}
\][/tex]
Blank 2:
Methane has a residence time of 8 years. Since specific data for CO₂ isn't provided in this particular calculation, we can state a general observation about methane as compared to CO₂. Methane generally has a much shorter residence time than CO₂, but it is incredibly effective at trapping heat in the short term.
So the second blank refers to the comparison statement:
[tex]\[
\boxed{shorter}
\][/tex]
Blank 3:
It is known as a potent greenhouse gas. Hence:
[tex]\[
\boxed{increases}
\][/tex]
So, the complete report for Martha should read:
Landfill Methane
Humans produce a huge amount of waste every day. Landfills were designed to combat this large amount of waste by accumulating and disposing of it. Organic waste from landfills undergoes decomposition in the absence of oxygen, producing gases. Methane gas is a large percentage of the gases emitted from landfills. If we consider a landfill a reservoir, the flow rate of methane is [tex]\( \boxed{537500000000000.0 \text{ g/year}} \)[/tex]. Methane has a \boxed{shorter} residence time than [tex]\( CO_2 \)[/tex], and it is a greenhouse gas that traps heat very effectively. Therefore, methane \boxed{increases} the temperature of the reservoir.
