Carbon Lesson 4: Ocean Pumps Flashcards
How much larger is the ocean a store of carbon compared to the atmosphere?
50x larger
What % of carbon is stored in undersea algae, plants, and coral, witht the remainder dissolved in water?
93%
What are the 3 ocean pumps?
Biological
Carbonate
Physical
Describe the phyiscal pump
1) Main current begins in poar oceans where the water is very cold; sea ice forms; surrounding water is more saline; increasing density and sinks - downwelling
2) Current is recharged as it passes through Antarctica, by extra cold, dense, saline water
3) Division of main current: northward into Indian ocean and westward into the Pacific
4) Two branches warm and rise as they travel northward, then loop back southward and westward
5) New-warmed surface water continues circulating around the globe. Water is warmer, less dense and less saline -upwelling
6) Cycle repeats on return to the North Atlantic
What is another name for the physical pump?
Thermohaline circulation - like a conveyor belt
Describe the biological pump
1) Sequestration of CO2 to oceans by phytoplankton
2) Phytoplankton floats on the surface of the ocean to access sunlight and photosynthesise - phtoplankton are autotrophs
3) Carbon passed up the food chain by consumers, which release CO2 back into the atmopshere
4) Most carbon is cycled to the surface waters
5) Phytoplankton sequester much of the carbon dissolved in the water to the deep ocean
How much of the planets biomass do phytoplankton make up?
50%
What % of carbon actually reaches the seafloor through decomposition and sedimentation?
0.1%
How much carbon does phytoplankton sequester annually to the deep ocean?
2 billion metric tonnes
In total, how much carbon is trasnferred from the atmosphere to the deep ocean each year?
5-15 Gt
Describe the carbonate pump
1) Actively moves CO2 into the ocean store from the atmopshere. Ocean at high temperatures and high pressure
2) Mnay marine organisms use calcium carbonate to build their outer shells, or inner skeletons
3) Oragnisms die and sink to the seafloor and shells will dissolve and release CO2
4) CO2 very soluble gas in water, and dissolves in the deep ocean, flowing around the Earth’s currents
5) Any shells which do not dissolve, layer on the sea floor forming limestone
How long can carbon remain in ocean currents?
500 years
Where can a limestone landscape be seen in the UK?
White Cliffs of Dover
How much faster can ocean currents circulate carbon than the Amazon River?
100x faster
Define upwelling
An instance or amount of seawater, magma, or other liquid rising up
