1.A.5 - The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
What is carbon found in?
- All life forms
- Sedimentary rocks
- Diamonds
- Graphite
- Coal
- Petroleum (oil and natural gas)
What is organic carbon?
The form found in living organisms such as plants and trees.
What is inorganic carbon?
The form found in non-living organisms such as ores and minerals
What is stored in the bonds between atoms in molecules containing carbon?
Chemical energy needed for life
Carbon dioxide’s formula and description
CO2 - A gas found in the atmosphere, soils, oceans and sedimentary rocks
Methane’s formula and description
CH4 - A gas found in the atmosphere, soils and oceans
Calcium Carbonate’s formula and description
CaCO3 - A solid found in calcareous rocks, oceans and skeleton and shells or ocean creatures
Description of Hydrocarbons
Solids, liquids and gases usually found in sedimentary rocks
Description of Bio-molecules
Complex carbon compounds produced in living things. E.g proteins, carbohydrates, fats & oils and DNA.
Why do geographers study CO2 in most detail? 1/3
CO2 has a profound effect on climate. By volume it’s a very significant greenhouse gas.
Why do geographers study CO2 in most detail? 2/3
It is difficult to separate a natural carbon cycle from one that is affected by human activity. Earth has a completely natural GHG effect but humans are affecting it.
Why do geographers study CO2 in most detail? 3/3
Anthropogenic CO2 emissions fundamentally affect the carbon cycle so affect climate. Humans are transferring carbon from the lithosphere to the atmosphere faster than ever in Earth history.
Where did CO2 originate from?
Stored in the mantle when the Earth formed
Where does the carbon escape from inside the Earth?
At constructive and destructive plate boundaries as well as hot-spot volcanoes
What kind of rock is the carbon released back into the atmosphere from at destructive plate boundaries?
Carbonate rocks subducting with the ocean crust
Where do we find other carbon?
- Some is dissolved in oceans
- Some carbon held as biomass in living or dead and decaying organisms
- Some bound in carbonate rocks
Where and how is carbon removed into long-term carbon?
Burial of sedimentary rock layers, especially coal and black shales and carbonate rocks like limestone.
Describe how the carbon stored in plants and animals living in the oceans get transferred to the lithosphere
When organisms die, their dead cells, shells and other parts sink into deep water. Decay releases carbon dioxide into this deep water. Some material sinks right to the bottom, where it forms layers of carbon-rich sediments. Over millions of years, chemical and physical processes may turn these sediments into rocks.
What is humus?
Thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed
What role do animals play in the carbon cycle?
Very important in the generation of movement of carbon in the carbon cycle
What impact has human activity had on levels of carbon in the atmosphere?
It is higher than it has been for at least 800,000 years
Why is Carbon Dioxide important?
It is a potent greenhouse gas and pays a vital role in regulating the Earth’s surface temperature
What is the name of the graph that shows change in levels of atmospheric CO2?
Keeling curve
