Movement of carbon Flashcards
What is the carbon cycle?
movement of carbon from one store to another in a continuous cycle
what is a net carbon sink and store?
sink= more carbon enters than leaves store= more carbon leaves than enters
How does carbon dissolve into ocean?
forms carbonic acid
Describe Photosynthesis
plants absorb light energy from sun, using chlorophyll in leaves, to produce carbohydrates (glucose form)
Some glucose used in respiration, rest converted back to insoluble starch
6CO2+6H20 -> C6H1206+6O2
Phytoplankton in euphatic zone- 50%
Describe Respiration (in all cells)
plants- stored carbs used for conversion into energy (for growth and repair, movement and control of body temperature in mammals
oxygen+glucose->energy+water+CO2
Describe Decomposition
when organisms die, they are consumed by decomposers such a bacteria, fungi and earthworms- carbon from body returned to atmosphere or soil where its stored
Describe Weathering
Breakdown or decay of rocks
co2 absorbed by rainwater= carbonic acid, rocks slowly dissolve into ions, with the carbon being held in solution
transported via water cycle to oceans- carbon can build up shell of marine organisms
Describe burial and compaction
organic matter buried by sediment and compacted, may form hydrocarbons such as oil and coal
tectonic uplift can expose buried limestone- e.g. Himalayas- or subduction at destructive plate boundaries- melts rocks and seeps to surface through vents as molten rock or co2
Describe combustion
organic material contains carbon- when it burns in presence of oxygen- converted into energy, co2 and water
explain the oceanic carbon pump
water can dissolve co2(more co2=lower temperature)-> vertical deep mixing
Describe vertical deep mixing
warm water carried from tropics to polar regions, cools/denser/sinks below surface layer or to sea bed, when it warms and returns to surface, loses co2 to atmosphere-> carbon pump as replenishes surface water
what is a biological pump
The cycle of carbon being trapped in organisms and turned into sedimentary rock
What natural hazards impact carbon cycle?
forest/wild fires, volcanic eruptions
How wild fires influences carbon cycle?
forests=carbon sink but its burnt then co2 is released
critical for rejuvenation as nutrients returned and new saplings can grow
vegetation reabsorbs co2- natural balance, negative feedback loop
How volcanic activity influences carbon cycle?
emitted co2 counterbalanced by sulfur dioxide. conversion of this to sulphuric acid increases reflection of radiation from sun back into space