1.3 The Carbon Cycle

Question 1

What is the primary source of carbon on earth?

Answer 1

Lithosphere

Question 2

What are the 8 main flows/transfers of carbon?

Answer 2

Weathering
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Decomposition
Combustion
Volcanic activity
Deforestation
Carbon sequestration

Question 3

What is carbon sequestration?

Answer 3

Capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and putting it into long term storage

Question 4

What is geologic sequestration?

Answer 4

CO2 is captured at power plants or industries and then injected in liquid form to underground stores. Could be depleted oil and gas reservoirs, thin uneconomic coal seams, deep salt formations and the deep ocean.
The ocean is capable of absorbing much more additional carbon than terrestrial systems, because of its size
Advantage is that by the time the carbon reaches the sea bed after thousands of years, it will be part of the natural geological cycle

Question 5

What is biological sequestration?

Answer 5

The use of plants to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and then store it as carbon in the stems and roots of the plants as well as the soil.
However, ocean sequestration is preferred because biological sequestration can easily be lost due to a forest fire and doing so is a very slow process which needs a lot of maintanence