Carbon Cycle m

Question 1

What systems can carbon be found in?

Answer 1

Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Cryosphere

Question 2

What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in the lithosphere?

Answer 2

Sedimentary rocks = 99.9%

Fossil fuels = 0.004%

Question 3

What is the second largest store of carbon?

Answer 3

Oceans

Question 4

What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in the hydrosphere?

Answer 4

0.04%

Majority is found deep in ocean in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon.

Small amount is found at the ocean surface.

Question 5

What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in the atmosphere?

Answer 5

0.001%

Question 6

How is carbon stored in the atmosphere?

Answer 6

As carbon dioxide and in smaller amounts as methane.

Question 7

What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in the biosphere?

Answer 7

0.004%

Question 8

Where is carbon stored in the biosphere?

Answer 8

In the tissues of living organisms - transferred to the soil when they die and decay.

Question 9

Where is carbon stored in the lithosphere?

Answer 9

In sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels.

Question 10

What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in the cryosphere?

Answer 10

0.01%

Question 11

Where is carbon stored in the cryosphere?

Answer 11

In the soil in areas of permafrost where decomposing plants and animals have frozen into the ground.

Question 12

What type of system is the carbon cycle?

Answer 12

A closed system - there are inputs and outputs of energy, but the amount of carbon stays the same.

Question 13

Draw a diagram of the carbon cycle:

Answer 13

https://s3.amazonaws.com/brainscape-prod/system/cm/323/929/758/a_image_card.jpg?1602671992

Question 14

Describe photosynthesis as a flow of carbon;

Answer 14

Describe photosynthesis as a flow of carbon;
Transfers carbon stored in atmosphere to biomass.
Plants and phytoplankton use energy from sun and CO2 —> glucose and oxygen for growth.
Carbon is then passed down the food chain and released through decomposition and respiration.

Question 15

Describe combustion as a flow of carbon:

Answer 15

Transfers carbon stored in living, dead or decomposed biomass to the atmosphere by burning.
Wildfires cause carbon flow.

Question 16

Describe ocean uptake and loss as a flow of carbon:

Answer 16

Describe ocean uptake and loss as a flow of carbon:
CO2 directly dissolved from atmosphere into the ocean.
Also transferred to oceans when it is taken up by organisms that live in them.
Carbon also transferred from ocean to atmosphere when carbon-rich water from deep in ocean rises to surface and releases CO2.

Question 17

Describe sequestration as a flow of carbon:

Answer 17

Carbon from atmosphere can be sequestered in sedimentary tocks or fossil fuels.

Question 18

What does it mean if something is sequestered?

Answer 18

It has been captured and held.

Question 19

Describe respiration as a flow of carbon:

Answer 19

Transfers carbon from living organisms to the atmosphere.

Plants and animals break down glucose for energy, releasing CO2 and CH4.

Question 20

Describe decomposition as a flow of carbon:

Answer 20

Transfers carbon from dead biomass to atmosphere and the soil.
Bacteria and fungi break organisms down - CO2 and CH4 are released.
Some carbon is transferred to soil in the form of humus.

Question 21

Describe weathering as a flow of carbon:

Answer 21

Transfers carbon from atmosphere to hydrosphere ad biosphere.

Question 22

Describe acid rain and its formation:

Answer 22

Describe acid rain and its formation:
Atmospheric carbon reacts with water vapour to form acid rain.
On rocks, a chemical reaction occurs which dissolves rocks.
Resulting molecules may be washed into sea.
Here, they can react with dissolved CO2 to form calcium carbonate - used by sea creatures to make shells.

Question 23

Give examples of fast carbon flows:

Answer 23

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Combustion

Decomposition

Question 24

Give an example of a slow carbon flow:

Answer 24

Sequestration

Question 25

What natural events can alter the magnitude of the carbon stores?

Answer 25

Wildfires and volcanic eruptions.

Question 26

How do wildfires alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 26

How do wildfires alter the carbon cycle?
Rapidly transfer large quantities of carbon from biomass to the atmosphere.
Loss of vegetation = less photosynthesis = less carbon removed from atmosphere.
Long term, can encourage growth of new plants = more photosynthesis.
So, depending on amount and type of regrowth, fires can have a neutral effect on atmospheric carbon.

Question 27

How does volcanic activity alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 27

Carbon stored in magma is released - majority enters the atmosphere as CO2.
Recent activity has released less CO2 than human acitivities - but there is potential for a very large eruption to disrupt the cycle significantly.

Question 28

Since when has human impact on the carbon cycle greatly increased?

Answer 28

Since the industrial revolution.

Question 29

How does has the extraction and use of hydrocarbons altered the carbon cycle?

Answer 29

Extracting and combusting fossil fuels releases CO2 into atmosphere.
This carbon would usually remain sequestered in lithosphere for thousands/millions of years.

Question 30

What are the main human activities that alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 30

Hydrocarbon extraction and use.

Deforestation.

Farming practices.

Land use change.

Question 31

How do farming practices alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 31

Rearing animals - release CO2 and CH4 through respiration and digestion of food.
Ploughing - releases CO2 in soil.
Growing rice - releases lots of CH4.
Population growth = increased food demand and production = carbon emissions increased.
Machinery advances = increased carbon emissions.

Question 32

How does deforestation alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 32

Clearing of forests for agriculture, logging or for space for new developments.
Reduces size of carbon store and, if cleared forest is burned, there is rapid flow of carbon from biosphere to atmosphere.

Question 33

How do land use changes alter the carbon cycle?

Answer 33

Removal of vegetation for buildings - reduces carbon storage in biosphere.
Concrete production - releases CO2.

Question 34

Carbon budget

Answer 34

The difference between the inputs of carbon into a subsystem and outputs of carbon from it.

Question 35

What determines whether something is a carbon source or a carbon sink?

Answer 35

The balance of inputs and outputs of a subsystem.

Question 36

Carbon source

Answer 36

The outputs of carbon outweigh the inputs, so it releases more carbon than it absorbs

Question 37

Carbon sink

Answer 37

The inputs of carbon outweigh the outputs, so it absorbs more carbon than it releases.

Question 38

How can changes in the carbon stored in the atmosphere effect the climate?

Answer 38

How can changes in the carbon stored in the atmosphere effect the climate?
If concentration of greenhouse gases/gases containing carbon increases, temperatures are expected to rise - global warming.
Changes in temperature can have knock-on effects with other aspects of climate, eg. more intense storms.