Carbon Flashcards
Name 6 stores of c
Plants Oceans Soils Atmosphere Fossil fuels Earths crust
Name 4 fluxes
Photosynthesis
Évapotranspiration
Combustion of dissolved fuels
Respiration
What is the largest c store
Earths crust
What is the smallest carbon store
Biosphere
How much c do fossil fuels store
4000 GTC/yr
How much c does biosphere and atmosphere store
600 GTC /yr
How much c do photosynthesis and respiration flux each
120gtc/yr
How much c does the atm gain a year
4gtc
What causes the increase in carbon in the atm and by how much
Combustion of fossil fuels
By 7gtc/yr
Why is adding only 4gtc of carbon a year bad
It is a rapid exchange (increasing year by year)
Small carbon store = less than 1% of the atm is made of carbon
So any increase is a large proportional difference
Has direct impact on the earth eg. Global warming
What is mass balance
On a global scale total carbon is conserved over time
Not created or destroyed
Carbon pathway between the land and atm
Atm c is fixed in the biosphere by photosynthesis
And transferred up the trophic levels by digestion
Carbon is lost back to the atm by respiration
Dead organic matter gets decomposed and adds the soil store for other plants to take up
Soil respiration (decomposers and detritus feeders)
Explain photosynthesis
6h20 + 6co2 -> c6h12o6 + o2
Used as hexose sugars
Carbohydrates eg. Starch or cellulose
What is decomposition.
CO2 returned to the atm
Bacteria abs fungi digest the organic matter on a microorganism level
Microorganisms respire producing CO2
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) produced
How does the biosphere produce no net loss or gain in the atm
Photosynthesis and respiration are in eqm
When factors affect rate of decomposition
Temperature
Oxygen availability for aerobic respiration of microorganisms
How much energy do we get from fossil fuel combustion
85%
Why does burning fossil fuels increase carbon atm
Fossil fuels are stores from long term lithosphere
But humans burn it at a much faster rate than it is being formed (non renewable and finite)
So not in eqm with anything
What is methanogenesis
The production of ch4
From anaerobic respiration of décomposers in peatlands
Explain the greenhouse effect
Uv light emitted by sun Passes through troposphere Earth re radiates energy as IR IR has a longer wavelength than UV Greenhouse gasses absorb IR Heat held in atmosphere Causes global warming
Why is the biosphere on a seasonal cycle
Spring growth = more photo than resp = carbon sink
Autumn death = more decomposition = more mictions respiration and less photo = carbon source
How does global warming affect the water cycle
Warmer temps = more convectional rain
The moisture holding capacity of the atm increases 7% per degree = heavier rain
More droughts = persistant and widespread
