Carbon Stores Flashcards
What is inorganic carbon?
carbon stored in non-living forms (eg rocks)
What are 5 major stores of Carbon?
- lithosphere (which includes the pedosphere)
- hydrosphere
- biosphere
- cryosphere
- atmosphere
What is organic carbon?
carbon stored in living forms
What is gaseous carbon? give 2 examples
carbon stored as a gas
CO2 and CH4
What is an example of carbon stored in the lithosphere?
- carbon stored in marine sediments and sedimentary rocks
- fossil fuel deposits
How is carbon stored in the hydrosphere?
- dissolved in water
- marine sediments and animals
How is carbon stored in the atmosphere?
as CO2 and CH4
What is the pedosphere?
layer composed of soil
Which store holds carbon for the longest?
lithosphere
What is a carbon sink?
a store that has more carbon entering than leaving
What is a carbon source?
a store that has more carbon leaving than entering
Approximately how much carbon is stored in marine and sedimentary rocks?
100,000 billion metric tonnes
What percentage of carbon is stored in the lithosphere?
99.985%
What percentage of carbon is stored in the hydrosphere?
0.0076%
What is sequestration?
sinks that remove C from the atmosphere and store it (for long periods)
What are hydrocarbons?
compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen, found in crude oil, natural gas and coal
What are fossil fuels?
compounds formed millions of years ago by the decomposition of carbon-containing organisms
What is calcium carbonate?
an inorganic form of carbon, found in shells, skeletons and rocks
What is methane?
a potent greenhouse gas with formula CH4
What is carbon dioxide?
a greenhouse gas with formula CO2
What is the carbon budget?
a cap/limit on anthropogenic CO2 emissions
What is meant by the term ‘ecological footprint’?
the natural resources from an environment that is needed to support a specific way of life or business
What is meant by the term ‘carbon footprint’?
the amount of greenhouse gases generated by action of humans
