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Geography - A - Global Systems > Block 7 (Carbon Stores In Different Biomes) > Flashcards

Block 7 (Carbon Stores In Different Biomes) Flashcards

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1
Q

How much carbon is stored in the terrestrial biosphere?

A

3000 Gigatonnes

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2
Q

How does the amount of carbon in the biosphere compare to other spheres?

A
  • More than in atmosphere + hydrosphere

- Less than in lithosphere (largest store: 10 mill Gigatonnes in mantle)

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3
Q

Is storage of carbon spread evenly throughout the terrestrial biomes?

A

No

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4
Q

What are the 3 largest stores of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere?

A
  • Boreal/coniferous forest (26%)
  • Tropical rainforest (20%)
  • Temperate grassland (10%)
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5
Q

What 2 biomes do we study?

A
  • Tropical rainforest

- Temperate grasslands

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6
Q

Within biomes, where can carbon be stored?

A
  • Biomass (living plants or animals) above or below ground
  • Dead organic matter (litter) above ground
  • Soil
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7
Q

Define biome

A

A major community of plants + animals adapted to the characteristics of the environment, including the climate

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8
Q

Define Net Primary Productivity (NPP) in the carbon cycle

A

Dry weight of biomass added to the biome

Per unit area, per year

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9
Q

What is the average NPP (kg/m2) in a tropical rainforest biome per year?

A

2,200 kg/m2

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10
Q

What is the average NPP (kg/m2) in a temperate grassland biome per year?

A

600 kg/m2

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11
Q

Is the NPP generally higher in tropical rainforests or temperate grasslands?

A

Tropical rainforests

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12
Q

What is the total amount of carbon stored in the world’s tropical rainforest biomes’ soil + biomass?

A

Approx 500 billion tonnes

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13
Q

Where are tropical rainforest biomes located?

A
  • On Equator + 10N-10S latitudes from it

- Elevations below 1000m

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14
Q

What are the 3 main tropical rainforest formations?

A
  • Amazonian
  • African
  • Indo-Malaysian
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15
Q

What are the 3 factors that influence carbon storage in biomes?

A

1) Light
2) Temperature
3) Precipitation

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16
Q

How does light affect carbon storage in tropical rainforests?

A
  • Sun’s rays concentrated all yr (little seasonal variation)

Effect: Year round plant growth + carbon sequestration, creating large biomass store

17
Q

How does temperature affect carbon storage in tropical rainforests?

A
  • High temps (25C-30C) all yr (little seasonal variation)

Effect: Fast decomposition, returning carbon to atmosphere + soil store from litter so that it can be uptaken into biomass quickly

18
Q

How does precipitation affect carbon storage in tropical rainforests?

A
  • High average annual rainfall (over 2000mm) from daily convectional rain (little seasonal variation)

Effect: Fast plant growth (biomass store). May leach soil store of carbon.

19
Q

Summarise the conditions in tropical rainforests

A

High levels of: light, temperature, precipitation

Provide optimum conditions for plant growth + biomass storage

20
Q

Give some evidence of high carbon store in biomass (plants) of tropical rainforests

A
  • 2/3 of world’s plant species found in tropical rainforests
  • Large trees can store 180 tonnes carbon per ha above ground
21
Q

Give some evidence of high carbon store in biomass (animals) of tropical rainforests

A
  • 1/10 of world’s animal species found in Amazon TRF alone

- The large amount of plants provide large range of habitats

22
Q

Summarise the relative carbon stores (biomass, litter, soil) in tropical rainforests

A
  • Biomass = largest carbon store (conditions promote growth)
  • Soil = small store (reuptake of decomposed carbon is fast + runoff and leaching happens)
  • Litter = smallest store (decomposition fast)
23
Q

Summarise the relative carbon stores (biomass, litter, soil) in temperate grasslands

A
  • Soil = biggest store (lower rainfall reduces runoff + leaching)
  • Biomass = smaller store (seasonal variations in growth + sequestration)
  • Litter = smaller store (decomposition + reuptake happens more slowly than in TRFs)
24
Q

Where are temperate grassland biomes located?

A
  • Temperate regions: 30-50N of Equator
  • Some small pockets in South
  • Often on periphery of mid-latitude deserts
25
Q

What are the 4 main temperate grassland formations?

A
  • North American Prairies
  • Eurasian Steppes
  • S.African Veld
  • S.American Pampas
26
Q

What is the total amount of carbon stored in the world’s temperate grassland biomes’ biomass + soil stores ?

A

185 billion tonnes

27
Q

Is more carbon stored in tropical rainforests or temperate grasslands?

A

Tropical rainforests

28
Q

How does light affect carbon storage in temperate grasslands?

A
  • Sun’s rays concentrated in summer + weaker in Winter (high seasonal variations)

Effect: pronounced variations in plant growth + biomass storage

29
Q

How does temperature affect carbon storage in temperate grasslands?

A
  • High seasonal variation in temps (-30C -> 40C)

Effect: Pronounced variation in decomposition rates

30
Q

How does precipitation affect carbon storage in temperate grasslands?

A
  • Low average annual rainfall (500mm or less) spread fairly evenly across the yr, with snow in winter

Effect: limited plant growth (growth of biomass store) + limited soil store leaching

31
Q

Summarise conditions in temperate grasslands

A

Seasonal variations in: light, temp
Generally low precipitation
Causes seasonal variations in carbon storage, with less constant and rapid plant growth than is seen in TRFs

32
Q

Give some evidence of low carbon store in biomass (animals) of temperate grasslands

A
  • No more than 2-3 species of large grazing mammal (e.g. bison)
  • One common animal is earthworms (1m2 may contain 500 - help with decomposition)
  • Less habitats so less animals
33
Q

Give some evidence of low carbon store in biomass (plants) of temperate grasslands

A
  • Only 2-10 tonnes carbon per plant (double in roots)
34
Q

What are the 2 most common grasses in temperate grasslands?

A
  • Turf grasses (with rhizomes - underground stems from which new plants grow)
  • Bunch grasses (without rhizomes - new plants grow from seeds)
35
Q

The key carbon store in temperate grasslands (soil) can hold how much carbon per hectare?

A

100-200 tonnes per hectare

Geography - A - Global Systems (8 decks)

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