Carbon Lesson 1: Carbon Cycle Basics

Question 1

What are the 4 stores of carbon?

Answer 1

Atmosphere - CO2 and CH4
Hydrosphere - dissolved carbon
Lithosphere - carbonates in limestone and fossil fuels like coal and oil
Biosphere - in both living and dead organisms

Question 2

Define a store/reservoir?

Answer 2

Where carbon is held

Question 3

Define fluxes

Answer 3

Flow/movement of carbon bewteen stores, which can operate on a local or global scale

Question 4

Define petagrams/gigatonnes

Answer 4

Units to measure carbon. 1 Pg is equal to 1 trillion kg or 1 billion tonnes

Question 5

What are the two types of carbon?

Answer 5

Geological carbon
Biologically derived

Question 6

Define geological carbon

Answer 6

Formed when rocks such as sedimentary rocks are created e.g. limestone and chalk

Question 7

Define biologically derived carbon

Answer 7

Created from dead organisms e.g. coal or shale