Changes In Carbon Stores Over Time And Space Flashcards
What are fast carbon flows
Photosynthesis, respiration, combustion and decomposition
What is an example of a slow carbon flow
Carbon sequestration, it takes millions of years for carbon to be sequester in sedimentary rocks
Why does primary succession cause change in carbon cycle
Bare rock is colonised by plant and animal communities over time. At the end of succession when the climax community has been reached, the cycling of carbon is greater than at the beginning.
How do wildfires cause change in carbon cycle
They rapidly transfer large quantities of carbon from biomass to the atmosphere. They encourage new plants, secondary succession occurs. They can turn forests from being a carbon sink to carbon source as combustion returns huge quantities of carbon back to atmosphere
How does volcanic activity cause change in carbon cycle
Carbon stored within magma is released during volcanic eruptions, entering the atmosphere as CO2, returning carbon trapped for millions of years
How much carbon do volcanoes emit per year
130-380 million tonnes of CO2 per year
How does hydrocarbon fuel extraction and burning cause change in carbon cycle
Extracting and burning releases CO2 Into the atmosphere
How does human intervention of hydrocarbon fuel extraction and burning change carbon cycle
Carbon would remain sequestered in the lithosphere for thousands or millions of years
What percentage of anthropogenic carbon release comes from the combustion of fossil fuels
90% according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in 2013 CO2 emissions were 36 GtC
How does cement manufacture cause changes in the carbon cycle
Produces 5% of global anthropomorphic CO2 emissions
How does agricultural activities release co2 into the atmosphere
Livestock release CO2 and methane when they respire and digest food
Ploughing can release carbon stored in the soil
Growing rice in rice paddies releases a lot of methane
How many hectares of the worlds forests are estimated to be cut down
13 million hectares according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
How does deforestation cause change in the carbon cycle
Clearance reduces the size of the carbon store and if the cleared forest is burned there is a rapid flow of carbon from the biosphere to the atmosphere
How do land use changes cause change in the carbon cycle
Urbanisation- vegetation is removed or covered up to make way for buildings, reduces carbon storage in the biosphere
What percentage of land use is urban areas globally
2%
