Carbon cycle Flashcards
4 major stores of carbon
Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere
What is the lithosphere ?
Earths crust and upper most mantle, stored as organic (litter, organic substances, humic substances found in soils) and inorganic (coal, oil, natural gas) carbon.
Carbon in lithosphere stored as ?
Marine sediments + sedimentary rocks, Soil organic matter, Fossil fuel deposits of coal, oil and gas, Peat
What is the hydrosphere stores divided into ?
The ocean ; surface layer, intermediate, living organic matter.
What is long term storage in hydrosphere ?
Organisms die and their dead cells and shells sink to deep water. Decay releases CO2 into this deep water. Some material sinks right to the bottom where it forms layers of carbon-rich sediments. Over millions of years it can turn these into sedimentary rocks where it locks up carbon.
What is the biosphere ?
Sum of all living matter, the distribution of it depends on the ecosystem.
Stores in the biosphere ?
Living vegetation, Plant litter, Soil hummus, Peat, Animals.
What is the atmosphere ?
Carbon stored in atmosphere, been on a rise and reached very high values
How is carbon moved ?
Carbon moves from one store to another in a continuous cycle, the process which is moves by is transfers or fluxes.
What is the geological component ?
When the carbon cycle interacts with the rock cycle in the processes of weathering, burial, subduction and volcanic eruptions.
Photosynthesis in the carbon cycle ?
Atmosphere to biosphere ; tiny marine plants in the euphotic zone turn carbon into organic matter by photosynthesis.
Dissolution in the carbon cycle ?
Atmosphere to hydrosphere, CO2 dissolved in water forming carbonic acid.
Sedimentation in carbon cycle ?
Biosphere to geosphere ; carbon from dead organisms trapped in sediments.
Combustion in carbon cycle ?
Geosphere to atmosphere ; burning fossil fuels, volcanic eruptions.
Decomposition in the carbon cycle ?
Biosphere to atmosphere ; when organisms die, decomposers break organic carbon into inorganic carbon releasing CO2.
Respiration in the carbon cycle ?
Biosphere to atmosphere ; plants, animals, microorganisms break down glucose for energy releasing CO2.
What is the physical carbon pump ?
CO2 absorption at the surface, Sinking of cold dense water, ocean current transport carbon, upwelling returns CO2 to surface
What is the biological carbon pump ?
Living things in the ocean move carbon from the atmosphere and down to deep water eventually into rocks. Carbon gets incorporated into organisms as organic matter or structural calcium carbonate. When they die shells sink to the bottom , decay releases CO2 into this deep water. Some material sinks right to the bottom where it forms layers of carbon-rich sediments and may form rocks over millions of years which locks carbon up.
Hydrocarbon extraction and burning in the carbon cycle ?
Dead plants and animals turn into fossil fuels following burial. Pressure from layers of sediment allows oxyegen free decomposition and the type of material that is buried determines outcome e.g animals tend to form petroleum.
Farming practices in the carbon cycle ?
When soil is ploughed, soil layers invert, air mixes in and results in the soil organic matter being broken down and carbon being lost to the atmosphere, additionally tractors emissions add to this.
Process of carbon sequestration ?
Capturing CO2 from atmosphere and long term storing it.
Geological sequestration ?
CO2 is captured at its source e.g power plant, then injected inot liquid form into stores underground.
Terrestrial sequestration ?
Use of plants to capture CO2 from atmosphere and store it as carbon in stems and roots.
Changing carbon budget impact on land ?
Increased land temps (may cause wildfires, droughts), Changes in vegetation growth, soil carbon loss
