Carbon stores

Question 1

what 2 layers does the lithosphere consist of?

Answer 1

the lithosphere consists of the crust and the uppermost mantle

Question 2

how is carbon stored inorganically in the lithopshere?

Answer 2

fossil fuels like coal oil and natural gas

Question 3

how is carbon stores organically in the lithopshere?

Answer 3

litter, organic matter and human substances found in soils

Question 4

carbon in the lithopshere is distributed between these stores

Answer 4

marine sediments and sedimentary rock - 100 million GtC
soil organic matter 1600 GtC
fossil fuel deposits - 4100 GtC

Question 5

what are the 3 ocean stores of carbon?

Answer 5

the surface layer
the intermediate
living organic matter

Question 6

surface layer

Answer 6

where sunlight penetrates so that photosynthesis can take place - contains around 900Gtc

Question 7

intermediate (twilight zone)

Answer 7

twilight zone and the deep layer of water contain around 37,100 GtC

Question 8

living organic matter

Answer 8

amount to approximately 30GtC and dissolved organic matter 700 GtC

Question 9

what happens when organisms die

Answer 9

their dead cells, shells and other parts sink into deep water
decay releases C02 into this deep water
over millions of years chemical and physical processes may turn these into sedimentary rock

Question 10

what is the biosphere defined as?

Answer 10

the total sum of all living matter

Question 11

what are the 5 main stores of the terrestrial biosphere

Answer 11

living vegetation
plant litter
soil humous 
peat 
animals

Question 12

Living vegetation

Answer 12

19% of carbon in earth’s biosphere is stored in plants directly in their tissues

Question 13

leaf litter

Answer 13

leaf tissues account for 70% of litter in forests but woody litter tends to increase with age

Question 14

soil humus

Answer 14

• origionates from little decomposition
• thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed
• in most forests around 31% of Carbon is stored in biomass and 69% in soils

Question 15

peat

Answer 15

peatlands cover 3% of all land and freshwater surfaces

they occur on all continents and it is estimated peat stores more than 250 GtC worldwide

Question 16

animals

Answer 16

play a small role in storage of carbon and are very important in generation of movement of carbon throughout carbon cycle

Question 17

what has happened to carbon in the atmosphere over time?

Answer 17

amount of carbon in atmosphere has increased from 7000 ppm to 800 GtC

Question 18

why is co2 in the atmosphere the highest its ever been?

Answer 18

car emissions
increased industrialisation
global warming

Question 19

where does 90% of anthroprogenic carbon release come from?

Answer 19

the combustion of fossil fuels with the remainder driven by land use changes

Question 20

of the anthroprogenic c02 released into the atmosphere how much is absorbed

Answer 20

24% by oceans 26% by plants

Question 21

what are the processes involved in transfers?

Answer 21

photosynthesis 
respiration 
decomposition 
combustion 
burial and compaction 
carbon sequestrian 
weathering

Question 22

photosynthesis

Answer 22

• plants use light energy from sun to produce carbohydrates in form of glucose
• uses co2 from air as it is converted into glucose

Question 23

respiration

Answer 23

co2 is returned back into atmosphere by exhaled air

takes oxygen and replaces it with co2

Question 24

decomposition

Answer 24

during decomposition carbon from organisms bodies is returned to the atmopshere as co2

Question 25

combustion

Answer 25

organic material contains carbon and when it is burned it is coverted into energy carbon dioxide and water

Question 26

what is biomass combustion?

Answer 26

the burning of living and dead vegetation. it includes human-induced burning as well as naturally occuring fires

Question 27

burial and compaction

Answer 27

organic matter is buried by sediments and becomes compacted. over the years the organic sediments containing carbon form hydrocarbons such as coal and oil

Question 28

carbon sequestrian

Answer 28

umbrella term used to describe the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to plants, soils rock formations and oceans

Question 29

weathering

Answer 29

when c02 is absorbed by rainwater it forms acidic carbonic acid
rocks will slowly dissolve with the carbon being held in the solution
it is transported via the water cycle and the carbon can then be used to build the shells of marine organisms

Question 30

varticle deep mixing

Answer 30

occurs when warm water is carried from warm tropics to cold area
here the water is cooled making it dense enough to sink below the surface layer
when cold water returns to the surface and warms up again it releases co2 into the atmosphere

Question 31

how does tectonic activity release carbon into the atmosphere

Answer 31

co2 rich deposits rise up to the surface through volcanic eruptions. this is how co2 returns to the atmosphere

Question 32

biological pump

Answer 32

living things in the ocean move carbon from the atmosphere into surface waters then down into the deeper ocean into rocks. this action is called a biological pump