Carbon Cycle Flashcards
What are carbon reservoirs and examples
Carbon reservoirs are stores of of carbon e,g forests,soil, oceans
What are carbon sinks
Carbon sinks are processes that absorb carbon, absorbs more carbon than it releases.
What are carbon sources
Carbon sources are processes that release carbon,releases more carbon than it absorbs
What happens when fossil fuels are burned
When fossil fuels are burned, trapped carbon is released as CP2
What processes add CO2 to atmosphere
Processes that add CO2 to atmosphere are? Volcanic activity, deforestation, erosion of carbonate rocks.
What is the difference between established forests and newly growing forests
Difference between established forest and newly growing forest are newly growing forest absorb more carbon than established forest.
Why do newly growing forests absorb more carbon than established forest
Newly growing forests absorb more carbon than established forests because processes that remove CO2 from atmosphere (photosynthesis) exceed those that release CO2 because new trees are rapidly putting on new biomass whereas in established forests processes that release CO2 (respiration and decay) are balanced by photosynthesis.
Why does deforestation cause increase in C02 and when does more C02 get released
Deforestation causes increase in C02 because photosynthesis levels drop.
More C02 is released if discarded branches are left to rot (C02 released by decomposers) or burned (C02 releases in combustion)
What is sedimentation and does it remove C02 from atmosphere
Sedimentation is when sea creatures make shells from calcium carbonate which removes dissolved carbon from sea water, when they die their shells accumulate as sediment at the bottom of the sea. This C02 becomes trapped.
Sedimentation removes C02 from atmosphere
Where could missing carbon be
Missing carbon could be in elements of carbon cycle e.g decomposers, oceans (increase in photosynthesis of algae)
