Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Water and Carbon > Carbon BK 1 > Flashcards

Carbon BK 1 Flashcards

1
Q

what’s a carbon source

A

a store in which the release of carbon occurs at a faster rate than it’s absorbed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what’s a carbon sink

A

a store or reservoir in which the absorption of carbon occurs at a faster rate than it’s released

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what does the word terrestrial refer to

A

the land

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what does the word marine refer to

A

the seas and oceans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are the 5 stores/sub-systems in the carbon cycle

A

lithosphere
atmosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere
cryosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

how is carbon stored in the atmosphere

A

as carbon dioxide and methane

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

how much carbon does the atmosphere store

A

0.001%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is carbon dioxide dissolved in

A

rivers lakes and oceans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is the second largest carbon store on earth

A

the oceans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

when is carbon transferred into soil

A

when living organisms die and decay

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

how much of the earths total carbon does the biosphere contain

A

0.004%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

where is carbon stored in the cryosphere

A

in the soil of permafrost where decomposing animals have frozen into the ground

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how much carbon is stored in sedimentary rock

A

99.9%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what does the global ocean data analysis project do

A

uses data from ships try to get an approximate figure of carbon in the ocean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

how much carbon is estimated to be in the ocean

A

37,000-40,000 GTC

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

how much carbon is estimated to be in the biosphere

A

3,170 GTC

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what are some main stores of carbon in the ocean

A

surface layer, the intermediate layer, living organic matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

how much carbon is estimated to be in the atmosphere now compared to 500 million years ago

A

400 ppm now, 7000 ppm 500 mill years ago

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is one vital role of carbon

A

regulating earths temperature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

how much is carbon currently raising to per year

A

22ppm/ year

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

how much does 1 GTC ( gigatonne carbon per year) equivalate too

A

1 billion tonnes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is anther word for transfer

A

flux

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what’s the largest transfer of carbon and its units in pectagrams

A

photosynthesis , 120 pg/year

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what’s the largest store of carbon and it’s unit in pectagram

A

the earths crust, 100,000,000 pg

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what are two ways that humans cause transfers of carbon

A

burning fossil fuels
deforestation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what are 7 natural transfers of carbon

A

photosynthesis
respiration
combustion
decomposition
ocean uptake and loss
weathering
sequestration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

describe photosynthesis as a transfer of carbon

A

-transfers carbon into the biomass (plants)
-using energy from the sun to convert CO2, which is then passed through plants through decomposition and respiration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

describe respiration as a transfer of carbon

A

-transfers carbon from living organisms into the atmosphere
-plants and animals break down glucose that releases carbon dioxide and methane

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

describe combustion as a transfer of carbon

A

-transfers carbon that’s stored in living, dead and decomposed biomass
-wildfires=loss of vegetation = decreases photosynthesis=less carbon removed from the atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

describe decomposition as a transfer of carbon

A

-transfers carbon from dead biomass into the atmosphere and soils
-death of microorganism, bacteria breaks organisms down and therefore CO2 is released

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

describe ocean uptake and loss as a transfer of carbon

A

-CO2 is directly dissolved from the atmosphere into the ocean
-organisms can directly take in carbon in the ocean
-carbon into the atmosphere, rich water rises to surface and releases CO2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

describe weathering as a transfer of carbon

A

-chemical weathering transfers carbon from atmosphere into the hydrosphere and biosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

describe sequestration as a transfer of carbon

A

-carbon from the atmosphere is sequestered in sedimentary rock
-carbon is sequestered until humans combust it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

what does sequestration mean

A

captured and held

35
Q

what are four human induced transfers of carbon

A

fossil fuel extraction and combustion
deforestation
farming practices
land use changes

36
Q

describe how fossil fuel extractions and combustion is a transfer of carbon

A

-these processes release carbon into the atmosphere
-without human intervention this carbon would have been sequestered for thousands/millions of years
-humans are to blame

37
Q

describe how deforestation is a transfer of carbon

A

-forests tend to be cleared for agriculture, logging or to
make way for new housing/building developments
-reduces size of carbon store
-if forest is burnt then carbon will flow from biosphere to atmosphere fast

38
Q

describe how farming practices is a transfer of carbon

A

-animals release CO2 and methane when they respite and digest food
-ploughing can release CO2 stored in soil
-growing rice in rice paddies, releases a lot of methane

39
Q

describe how land use changes is a transfer of carbon

A

-vegetation is removed to make way for buildings which reduced carbon storage in the biosphere
-concrete production = more CO2

40
Q

how does photosynthesis vary over time and space

A

-more photosynthesis with more light=more in day
-happens in amazon more, because of less fluctuating daylight hours
-more frequent in the summer than winter

41
Q

how does the rate of weathering vary if time and space

A

-physical weathering will occur less in summer months and tropical areas
-northern latitude areas like Canada will see more freeze thaw
- rapid chemical weathering is more frequent in warmer areas

42
Q

how does decomposition vary over time and space

A

time = less in winter months bc of less microorganisms
space=more decomposition in tropical environments bc warmer and wetter than cold

43
Q

how does ocean uptake and loss vary over time and space

A

-ocean loss happens more in areas of carbon rich water
-colder areas can uptake and absorb more carbon, such as the arctic ocean will uptake more than the Indian ocean

44
Q

what is the two ways carbon budget can be defined

A

1)the number of greenhouse gases that can be spent/emitted for a given level of global warming
2) the balance of exchanges between the major stores of carbon, the balance of inputs and outputs in the subsystems like the atmosphere

45
Q

what is one way the carbon budget is important

A

information on global carbon budgets enables policy makers to evaluate a range of mitigation options, to meet long term global temperature goals

46
Q

what’s another way of saying net 0

A

carbon neutral

47
Q

how much of the carbon budget do we have left before we go just and exceed 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030

A

20%

48
Q

on average how many gigatonnes of CO2 is emitted per day

A

42 gigatonnes

49
Q

what’s the potential impacts of exceeding the carbon budget

A

more extreme weather events
more floods
more heatwaves
water shortages
global sea levels rise by 1m
more severe wild fires

50
Q

what are 2 things we can do to prolong the carbon budget and not go bust by 2030

A

ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030
offshore wind and more renewable energy sources

51
Q

what are the 3 impacts grouped into in terms of climate change

A

land based
ocean based
atmosphere based

52
Q

how is crop production a land based impact of climate change

A

crop production will reduce on average by 6%, meat and dairy production reduced because of heat stress and reproduction issues

53
Q

what does the cryosphere and permafrost have to do with land based climate change impacts

A

increased permafrost melting causing eustatic sea level rise

54
Q

what are 2 social land based impacts of climate change

A

-increase human morbidity and death through heat and disease
-tourism could be positively impacted as “last change to see” places e.g venice

55
Q

how are animals a land based impact of climate change

A

plants and animals will struggle with more rapid changes in seasons and temperature, more extinction

amphibians -10% reptiles -8%

56
Q

how are marine organisms linked to ocean based impacts

A

marine organisms moving towards higher latitude, most of these and life on the coral reefs will die at 1.5 warming

57
Q

what can global warming do to the oceanic carbon pump

A

slows down the oceanic carbon pump, therefore it has less ability to absorb CO2, this can impact marine life

58
Q

define the biological carbon pump

A

the oceans biologically driven sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere and land

59
Q

what can an increase in CO2 do to ocean acidification

A

increase it

60
Q

what is ocean acidification

A

a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, primarily caused by the uptake of carbon

61
Q

why is ocean acidification a problem

A

it reduces the amount of carbon in seawater, which makes it more difficult for marine organisms to form their shells and skeletons meaning they could potentially die

62
Q

what are two atmospheric based climate change impacts

A

-the carbon cycle affects the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, which traps infrared radiation which warms the planet
-drought and dryness increases especially in desert locations

63
Q

have governments overall been successful in managing the potential impacts of climate change, and why

A

no,
discussions have been going on for 30+ years and little progress has been made, during COP26 landmark agreements have been made such as reducing deforestation by 2030
and greater agreements between china and USA in terms of “phasing down” of coal, this should be “phasing out”
better management at a national scale, the UK has set laws in terms of management of climate

64
Q

what are 3 obstacles in the way of achieving climate action

A

1)climate change denial
2)the economics of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
3)the politics of mitigation policies

65
Q

what are 3 scientific organisations that show global warming

A

US Climate Centre
Japanese Met Office
NASA

66
Q

when did we become concerned about climate change and it’s impacts

A

4 decades ago

67
Q

how much hotter is the earth now compared to pre industrial times

A

1 degree

68
Q

to what levels have heat waves increased in the UK

A

30X more

69
Q

how many tonnes of ice has the greenland ice sheet lost

A

4 trillion tonnes

70
Q

on what scale is the greenland ice sheet loosing ice compared to 25 years ago

A

5X more ice

71
Q

how much on average has sea levels rose by in the last 100 years

A

20cm

72
Q

how does photosynthesis link all water, carbon and climate change

A

the process involves both water and carbon, it’s the most important transfer of carbon as it takes it from the atmosphere

73
Q

is photosynthesis an example of positive or negative feedback

A

negative, because it has positive impacts

74
Q

how does decomposition link water, carbon and climate change

A

happens in wet and humid climates, carbon is transferred into the atmosphere and soils

75
Q

is decomposition an example of positive or negative feel back

A

positive, as it has negative impacts such as warming the earth as it releases carbon

76
Q

how does weathering link water carbon and climate change

A

all weathering, especially chemical all need water to occur
when the rock actually breaks down it releases carbon into the atmosphere from the ground

77
Q

how does precipitation link water carbon and climate change

A

precipitation falls on exposed soils, causes erosion through surface run off, this means carbon will be transferred into rivers and oceans

78
Q

how is water, carbon and climate change linked on a regional scale e.g in the southern ocean

A

there is an increased number of icebergs due to climate change which contain large amounts of mineral rich debris, when melting occurs this is released which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton

79
Q

what does phytoplankton do

A

photosynthesise and remove carbon from the atmosphere, negative feedback

80
Q

how are fish and phytoplankton linked

A

fish feed off phytoplankton which transfers carbon to the sea bed when they die

81
Q

how is water carbon and climate change linked on a global scale

A

the fact that climate change and the climate are supercharging these systems : melting, carbon in the atmosphere and evaporation

82
Q

how much oxygen is phytoplankton responsible for producing

A

50% of what we breathe

83
Q

what did the WWF Living Planet Report 2022 find about global wildlife populations

A

they have plummeted by 69% since 1970

84
Q

how much has mineral extraction, CO2 emissions and meat production rose by in the last 50 years

A

ME = 193%
CO2 = 146%
MP = 244%

Water and Carbon (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions