Carbon EQ1 Flashcards
carbon cycle
exchange of carbon between its four main reservoirs
atmophere
CO2/Methane (CH4) - gaseous carbon
hydrosphere
dissolved CO2 - can be gaseous, inorganic or organic
lithosphere
fossil fuels and limestones/ calcium carbonates - inorganic carbon
biosphere
living and dead organisms - organic carbon
flux
connect reservoirs together to create cycles and feedbacks
closed system
nothing can leave or enter the cycle, total amount in the cycle stays the same
biogeochemical cycle
a system of natural processes that recycle nutrients in various forms from the environment to the organisms and then back to the environment
quantifying stores and fluxes
scientists measure amount of carbon on earth in gigatons or petagrams
CO2 fluxes are higher in the northern hemisphere
greater landmass
spring/summer - smaller concentration, absorbed
autumn/winter - larger concentration, released when leaves decay
sequester
act of removing, separating, or seizing something
oceanic biological pump
phytoplankton are responsible for most of transfers of carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean
thermohaline circulation
1 - main current begins in polar oceans where the water gets cold, sea ice forms, surrounding seawater gets saltier, increases in density and sinks
2 - current is recharged as it passes Antarctica by extra cold salty, dense water
3 - division of main current northward into the indian ocean and into the western pacific
4 - two branches warm and rise as they travel northward, then loop back southward and westward
5 - now warmed surface waters continue circulating around the globe, on their eventual return to the north atlantic they cool and the cycle begins again
when can carbon fluxes happen
diurnally - during the day fluxes are positive, at night the fluxes are negative (loss from ecosystem to atmosphere)
seasonally - northern hemisphere winter atmospheric CO2 concentration rise and during the spring atmospheric concentrations drop
terrestial store - mangroves and soil
where in the world - along tropical and sub tropical tidal coasts in Africa, Australia, Asia and America
how do they store carbon - biological carbon stored in form of dead organic matter
what will happen if store damaged - mangroves cleared for tourism and agriculture, carbon released back into the atmosphere
terrestial store - tundra
where they found - north and south poles
how do they store carbon - soil frozen, contains ancient carbon, decayed organic matter frozen
what happens if damaged - melting due to climate change, released into atmosphere
terrestrial store - tropical rainforests
where they found - below or above equator between tropics
how do they store carbon - stored in trees, plant litter and dead wood, absorb more atmospheric CO2 than any terrestrial biome
what happens if destroyed - nutrients released are rapidly consumer by vegetation
photosynthesis
carbon dioxide + water = glucose + oxygen
espiration
glucose + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water
decomposition
break down organic matter and release CO2 into atmosphere
combustion
burning of fossil fuels and release CO2
geological cycle
cycle which moves carbon between land, ocean and atmosphere
outgassing
carbon held in mantle released into atmosphere when volcanoes erupt
carbon sink
carbon reservoir that takes in and stores more carbon than it releases, partially offset greenhouse gas emissions
thermohaline circulation
flow of ocean water caused by changes in density
shortwave radiation
solar radiation from sun in form of visible light and ultraviolet radiation
longwave radiation
radiation returning from earth in form of infrared radiation or heat
natural greenhouse effect
1 - solar radiation passes through clear atmosphere
2 - solar energy absorbed by earth’s surface and warms it, converted into heat causing emission of longwave radiation back into atmosphere
3 - some solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and earth’s surface back into space
4 - some of the infrared radiation is absorbed and re-emitted by greenhouse gas molecules, direct effect is the warming of earth’s surface and troposhere
5 - some of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere and is lost in space
6 - surface gains more heat and infrared radiation is emitted again
radiative forcing
what happens when the amount of energy that enters the earth’s atmosphere from the sun is different from the amount of energy that leaves it
what anthropogenic interference occurs in the enhanced greenhouse effect?
