Carbon Cycle Flashcards
Sizes of the major stores of carbon?
Lithosphere Hydrosphere Pedosphere Cryosphere Atmosphere Biosphere
What percentage of carbon is found in the lithosphere?
99.985%
What percentage of carbon is found in the Hydrosphere?
0.0076%
What percentage of carbon is found in the Pedosphere?
0.0031%
What percentage of carbon is found in the Cryosphere?
0.0018%
What percentage of carbon is found in the Atmosphere?
0.0015%
What percentage of carbon is found in the Biosphere?
0.0012%
Where is carbon in the cryosphere found?
Polar regions and highlands areas of Himalayas and Patagonia
Where is carbon found in the atmosphere?
North America, Europe and Asia South Africa, Java, China and South America
When does North America, Europe and Asia release the most carbon?
Autumn and winter
Why does North America, Europe and Asia release the most during these seasons?
trees lose their leaves and photosynthesis slows down - in the spring and summer the opposite happens.
When does South Africa, Java, China and South America release the most carbon?
summer
Why does South Africa, Java, China and South America release the most during these seasons?
burning of forests
Where are the highest amounts of carbon found in the hydrosphere?
Atlantic and Bay of Bengal
An example of the warm ocean carbons?
the Gulf Stream, which keeps carbon at the surface whilst cold water takes carbon to the bottom of the ocean.
Where is the highest concentration of carbon found in the lithosphere?
Hyrdrocarbons found concentrated in North America, Former USSR and the Middle East
Where is the highest concentration of carbon found in the biosphere?
The tropical rainforest due to lush vegetation
Where is the highest concentration of carbon found in the pedosphere?
Northern latitudes Boreal forests due to slower decomposition in soils
What are the factors diving change in the magnitide of the biosphere?
Photosynthesis Respiration Decomposition Combustion
What are the factors driving the change in the magnitude of the cryosphere?
Reduced rate of decomposition storing CO2 for 1000s of years
What are the factors driving the change in the magnitide of the hydrosphere?
Diffusion
Calcification
Compaction
Phytoplankton
What are the factors driving the change in the magnitude of the lithosphere?
Tectonic uplift Volcanic activity Weathering
How does photosynthesis change to the magnitude?
light energy converts CO2 into glucose, releasing O2
How does Respiration change to the magnitude?
O2 absorbed and CO2 is released (50% of CO2 absorbed by photosynthesis is returned this way)
How does Combustion change the magnitude?
CO2 rapidly released due to fires e.g. lightning strike
How does Diffusion change the magnitude?
ocean ventilates CO2 out and dissolves CO2 in during acidification
How does Calcification change the magnitude?
Shells and coral take carbon ions and convert into carbonate to build shells
How does Compaction change the magnitude?
marine plants and animals (fish) die and decompose on sea bed, compacted under sediment to form hydrocarbonsShells and coral dissolve releasing CO2 whilst others are compacted under sediment
How does Phytoplankton change the magnitude?
microscopic organism convert CO2 via photosynthesis
How does Tectonic uplift cause change in the magnitde?
reveals sedimentary rock formed in ocean
How does Volcanic activity cause change in the magnitide?
releases CO2 back into atmosphere
How does Weathering cause change in the magnitude?
breakdown of rock in-situ. Carbon in atmosphere mixes with H2O to create carbonic acid which dissolves rock into calcium ions which run-off takes to ocean
How does the carbon cycle change over time due to natural variation?
Cold temperatures
Hot temperatures
Volcanic eruptions
Wildfires
How does cold temperatures cause cause changes to the carbon cycle over time?
Low co2 every 100,000 years Less transfer pedosphere Less flow into hydrosphere Less decompositionLess forest cover More weathering
How does hot temperatures cause changes to the carbon cycle over time?
More co2 every 100,000 years
Melting of permafrost (Siberia) release of CO2 and methane
How does Volcanic eruptions cause cause changes to the carbon cycle over time?
542-251 million years more active
130-380 million tonnes/year
How does Wildfires cause cause changes to the carbon cycle over time?
ndonesia (97/13)Noticeable spikeSink to source
How does human impact change the carbon cycle over time?
Hydrocarbons for energy and power
Land use change
Deforestation
Agriculture
How has the use of hydrocarbons for power and engergy impacted the carbon cycle over time?
Increased since Industrial Revolution, dramatic increase since 1950s (ninefold increase), 2013 - 61% higher than 1990
Which countries emit the most hydrocarbons for power and energy?
China, USA, India
What is the relative importance of hydrocrabons for power and energy?
Very important in terms of long term stores - 70-100 million years old
87% of CO2 emissions
How has land use change impacted the carbon cycle over time?
Important stores (vegetation and soils) replaced Urban pop to reach 60% by 2030, growing 1.3 million people a week
What is the relative importance of landuse?
Can have big impact on small-scale carbon cycles
Urban - 2% land use but 97% of CO2
Cement - 2.4%-5% of global emissions
How has deforestation impacted the carbon cycle over time?
Replaced with grassland therefore absorption reduced13 million ha cut down every year
example of land use changes?
urbanisation, transport, industry, cement production
What does deforestation do?
releases CO2 quickly with no time for new vegetation to grow
What is the relative importance of deforestation?
20%-30% of all CO2 emissions
Changes forests from sink to source