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carbon Flashcards

1
Q

Why is carbon important?

A

Carbon exists in all living things and is useful in joining elements to form the compounds of life.

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2
Q

How is carbon incorporated into global systems?

A

Atmosphere - carbon dioxide and methane
Hydrosphere - dissolved carbon
Lithosphere - limestone and fossil fuels e.g. coal, gas, coal
Biosphere - living and dead organisms

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3
Q

How is geological carbon formed?

A

Formed when sedimentary rock is created by pressure added to sediment on the ocean floor.

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4
Q

How is biological carbon formed?

A

When dead organisms are pushed under the ground by decomposition to form fossil fuels where the carbon is stored.

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5
Q

What is a carbon store?

A

Where carbon is held

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6
Q

What is a carbon flux?

A

Flows of movement between stored.

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7
Q

How is carbon measure?

A

In Petegrams/Gigatonnes (1 petegram/gigatonne = 1 trillion kg/1 billion tonnes.

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8
Q

What is a carbon source?

A

Adds carbon to fluxes by shrinking in size and releasing carbon.

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9
Q

What is a carbon sink?

A

Removes carbon by storing it and growing in size.

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10
Q

What is equilibrium in the carbon cycle?

A

Sources=sinks

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11
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

Sources>sinks

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12
Q

What is negative feedback?

A

Sources

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13
Q

What are the stores in the carbon cycle?

A

Terrestrial soil, terrestrial ecosystems, atmosphere, crust, deep ocean, surface ocean.

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14
Q

How much carbon is stored in terrestrial soil and how long for?

A

560pgC for days in heat or decades in cold.

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15
Q

How much carbon is stored in terrestrial ecosystems and how long for?

A

100,000,000pgC and extra 4000pgC in fossil fuels for seconds/minutes.

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16
Q

How much carbon is stored in the atmosphere and how long for?

A

560pgC for up to a 100 years.

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17
Q

How much carbon is stored in the Earths crust and how long for?

A

1500pgC for a millennia.

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18
Q

How much carbon is stored in the deep ocean and how long for?

A

38000pgC for long time.

19
Q

How much carbon is stored in the surface ocean and how long for?

A

1000pgC for short time.

20
Q

What are the processes in the carbon cycle?

A

Photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration, combustion

21
Q

How does photosynthesis work?

A

Light energy converts CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen in the plants chlorophyll. The glucose is respired or stored as starch.

22
Q

How does decomposition work?

A

Decomposers eg bacteria consume dead organisms, the process releases CO2 or carbon passes into the soil.

23
Q

How does respiration work?

A

CO2 is returned to the atmosphere by organisms exhaling it.

24
Q

How does combustion work?

A

Organic material that contains carbon is burned in the presence of oxygen it turns to energy, CO2 and water.

25
Q

What are the processes in the geological carbon cycle?

A

Chemical weathering + mechanical weathering, transportation, decomposition, sedimentation, metamorphosis.

26
Q

How is carbon released geologically?

A

Metamorphic rock melts in magma chamber of volcano which rises and eruptions from the volcano in the ash cloud as CO2.

27
Q

What are the biological processes sequestering carbon?

A

Carbonate pump, biological pump, physical pump.

28
Q

What is the carbonate pump?

A

Marine organisms use calcium ions to form shells/skeletons. These die and the carbon dissolves or sinks to ocean floor.

29
Q

What is the biological pump?

A

Phytoplankton use light, water and CO2 to make food(autotroph), they are then transferred through the food chain via consumers who die and sink to ocean floor.

30
Q

What is the physical pump?

A

The circulation of water including the thermocline current - cold water absorbs carbon, warm water releases. Deep ocean 10% more concentration, polar for concentrated than tropics.

31
Q

What is chemical weathering?

A

CO2+water= acid rain which predicates and reacts with surface minerals to make calcium ions.

32
Q

What is mechanical weathering?

A

The break up of rocks by the shattering and exfoliation of frost.

33
Q

What is the thermocline current?

A

Global movement of water through oceans.

34
Q

What is the path of the thermocline current?

A
  1. Northern polar region
  2. Recharged at Antartica
  3. Divides into Indian Ocean and Western Pacific
  4. 2 branches travel North and loop back South and West
  5. Returns back to North.
35
Q

Why does phytoplankton vary?

A

Base on coastlines and continental shelves, like rich nutrient oceans, increase at high latitudes during summer and spring. Subtropical oceans decrease due to warm surface waters.

36
Q

What is the process of terrestrial sequestration?

A

CO2 enters plant by photosynthesis. Some exits at respiration, some travels through plant to roots which respire or die. Rest is released by leaf litter respiring from decomposition or is stored beneath the soil.

37
Q

What is peat?

A

Dead matter that can’t decompose due to wet or incorrect acidic conditions.

38
Q

What factors effect terrestrial sequestration?

A

Climate, soil type, management and use of soil

39
Q

What is the greenhouse gas effect?

A

CO2 in the atmosphere from carbon emissions allows short wave radiation to pass through but not long wave radiation reflected off the Earth so the climate increases.

40
Q

What is the milankovic cycle?

A

Changes in the orbital cycle, axial tilt and precession (wobble) of the Earth.

41
Q

What is the sunspot theory?

A

Sun spots appear of the sun that emit more heat radiation

42
Q

What is the eruption theory?

A

When a volcano erupts the ash cloud goes into the atmosphere and blocks out the sun.

43
Q

How do humans interfere in the carbo cycle?

A

Combustion of fossil fuels, livestock release methane, deforestation, loss of soil carbon from ploughing, transport, electricity, cement production.

44
Q

What are the natural interferences of the carbon cycle?

A

Temperature, precipitation.

carbon (1 decks)

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