6.2

Question 1

What is the biological carbonate pump?

Answer 1

-co2 into water by diffusion
-phytoplankton photosynthesises
-zooplankton comes to the surface to eat
-other phytoplankton dissolves and sinks
-zooplankton migrates to deep water, they respire then decompose, carbon is released
-sediments of dead organisms fall to ocean floor

Question 2

What is the Terrestrial biological cycle?

Answer 2

-primary producers like plants capture carbon (sequester) during photosynthesis
-animals consume plants
-animal waste is eaten by bacteria, transferring carbon
-plants and animals die, decompose and carbon is then released into the soil

Question 3

Why do carbon fluxes vary?

Answer 3

Seasonality and time of day

Question 4

Why do carbon fluxes vary?

Answer 4

Seasonality and time of day

Question 5

What is the biggest stores of carbon on land? Why?

Answer 5

Soils
Because animals and plants decompose then release carbon into the soil

Question 6

What is biological carbon?

Answer 6

Carbon stored in living organisms like animals and plants

Question 7

What does amount of carbon stored in soils depend on?

Answer 7

Climate, plant growth when more rain and higher temp
Vegetation, affects supply of dead organic matter
Soil type, clay is high carbon as protects
Land use, cultivation increase rate of carbon loss

Question 8

What is the geological cycle?

Answer 8

Movement of carbon within the lithosphere

Question 9

What are the different carbon fluxes?

Answer 9

Atmosphere to vegetation
Vegetation to soils
Soils to atmosphere
Soils to rivers
Oceans + lakes to carbonate rocks
Fossil fuels to atmosphere
Oceans + lakes to atmosphere

Question 10

What are the carbon stores?
(Biomes)

Answer 10

Tundra- 127 gt carbon in total
- 6gt in vegetation
- 21gt in soils
Tropical savanna- 330 gt in total
- 66 gt in vegetation
- 264 gt in soil
Deserts- 428 gt in total
- 8 gt in vegetation
- 191 gt in soil
Tropical forests- 428 gt in total
- 212 gt in vegetation
- 216 gt in soil
Boreal forests- 559 gt in total
- 88 gt in vegetation
- 471 gt in soil
Temperate forests- 159 gt in total
- 59 gt in vegetation
- 100 gt in soil
Wetlands- 230 gt in total
- 15 gt in vegetation
- 215 gt in soil
Agricultural land- 131 gt in total
- 3 gt in vegetation
- 128 gt in soil

Question 11

Why are mangrove trees valuable?

Answer 11

• sequester lots of carbon
• mangrove soils contains over 10% carbon
• absorbs large amounts