physical paper 1- carbon

Question 1

What is organic carbon

Answer 1

Form found in living organisms such as plants and trees

Question 2

What is inorganic carbon

Answer 2

Carbon extracted from ores and minerals

Question 3

What is anthropogenic co2

Answer 3

Carbon dioxide generated by human activity

Question 4

What happens in a simple carbon cycle

Answer 4

Sunlight releases c02 which plants take in for photoysynthesis. Plant may die and decay- atmosphere. Or be eated by an animal which takes in the co2, animals release to atmosphere by respiration, they eventually die and waste/bones get buried in the rock. Those fossil fuels then get burnt for energy and co2 emitted.

Question 5

What is the primary store of carbon on the earth and how it can release carbon

Answer 5

In the earths mantle- it escapes by constructive and destructive plate margins
Much released at destructive plate margins from metamorphism

Question 6

What are different carbon compounds and where are they found

Answer 6

CO2- atmosphere, soils and oceans
CH4 (methane)- atmosphere, soils and sedimentary rocks
CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)- calcareous rocks, oceans, skeletons, shells
Hydrocarbons- solids, liquids, gasses- sedimentary rocks
Bio-molecules- living things- proteins, carbs, fat, oil and DNA

Question 7

What is the fast/short term carbon cycle and processes

Answer 7

Moves carbon much faster, instead of millions of years it happens over years. The increased speed is because the fast carbon cycle moves carbon through living things. Moves 1000x more carbon per year than a slow.
Photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition

Question 8

What is the slow/long term carbon cycle and processes

Answer 8

Moves carbon between the atmosphere, lithosphere and oceans. 10-10m tonnes of carbon per year and takes 100-200m years for carbon to move through. Carbon is removed into long term storage by burial of sedimentary rock layers e.g. coal
Compression, burial, volcanic eruptions

Question 9

What do the different flows of carbon move through

Answer 9

Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
Diffusion
Weathering and erosion
Burial and compaction
Carbon sequestration

Question 10

Flows of carbon between the atmosphere and lithosphere

Answer 10

Combustion- burning of FF
Erupting volcano

Question 11

Flows of carbon between the atmosphere and biosphere

Answer 11

Combustion- wildfires
Respiration
Photosynthesis

Question 12

Flows of carbon between the atmosphere and hydrosphere

Answer 12

Diffusion

Question 13

Flows of carbon between the lithosphere and hydrosphere

Answer 13

Erosion/weathering

Question 14

Flows of carbon between the lithosphere and biosphere

Answer 14

Sequestration
Decomposition

Question 15

Flows of carbon between the hydrosphere and biosphere

Answer 15

Crustations take carbon to build shells
Marine plant take in co2- phytoplankton

Question 16

What are the measures of carbon

Answer 16

Giggatone (GTG)
Gigatonne per year (CTCy-1)

Question 17

What is carbon stored as in the lithosphere

Answer 17

Stored in both organic and inorganic forms
Inorganic- fossil fuels- coal, oil, gas- 4100 GTG
Organic- litter, organic matter and humus in soil- 1500-1600 GTG
Stored in: mantle, marine sediments and rocks- 100m GTG
Peat- 250GTG

Question 18

What is carbon stored as in the hydrosphere

Answer 18

Oceanic stores:
Surface layer: sunlight penetrates so photosynthesis can take place- 900GTG
Intermediate layer: deep layer of water- 37100 GTG
Living organic matter and dissolved organic matter
Oceanic carbon in total is 40 000 GTG

Question 19

How does carbon get into the intermediate layer of oceans with no sunlight

Answer 19

When organisms die their dead cells, shells and other parts sink into deep water. Decay releases co2 into deep water and form layers of carbon rich sediment.
Over millions of years chemical and physical processes turn these sediments into rocks

Question 20

What is atmospheric carbon like

Answer 20

Very high millions of years ago and the lowest concentration has been the past 2 millions years suggesting It changes over time. Makes up 0.04% the earths atmosphere.

Question 21

Where is atmospheric carbon measured and why

Answer 21

Mauna Loa observatory as the air is undisturbed and in a remote location and limited influence from vegetation and human activity

Question 22

Why has atmospheric increased over the past 60 years

Answer 22

Increased 100ppm
Due to human activity such as deforestation farming and burning of fossil fuels

Question 23

Where is carbon stored in the biosphere

Answer 23

In the tropics due to high biodiversity and nutrient rich soils containing carbon. Lots of farming can take place which increases co2.

Question 24

What is the net carbon sink and net carbon source

Answer 24

If more carbon enters a store than leaves this is known as the net carbon sink. If more carbon leaves it then it’s known as a net carbon source.

Question 25

Explanation of how the different types of rock are formed.

Answer 25

Sedimentary rocks are formed by different rocks in the ocean due to erosion/weathering and being compacted and buried over a long period of time. This can form into metamorphic rock due to the burial of rock leading to high pressures and high temperatures so the layers distort/melt together. Igneous rocks are formed by the high temperatures and melting of rock to produce magma and also magma from molten crust and mantle which cools and hardens to form igneous rocks.

Question 26

The movement of carbon- factors driving change in magnitude of stores over time- lithosphere

Answer 26

1. In water, carbon is removed from the atmosphere by dissolving to form carbonic acid. As this acidic water reaches the surface as rain it reacts with minerals on earths surface, dissolving their component ions through weathering. 2.these component ions are carried in rivers and get back to oceans where they settle as minerals e.g. calcite, a form of calcium carbonate. 3. Coral and other shell builders extract this from water and they eventually die, build up on ocean floor and become buried and stored in layers of limestone 4. Tectonic forces cause plate movement to push the sea floor under continental Margins- subduction and the carbon sea floor is pushed deep into ground and melt. 5. Molten rock rises back to surface through volcanic eruptions or hot springs and returns back to atmosphere.

Question 27

Where is carbon stored in the terrestrial biosphere

Answer 27

Living vegetation Plant litter Soil humus Peat Animals soil is the largest store, animals is the smallest

Question 28

the movement of carbon- atmospheric factors driving change in magnitude over time

Answer 28

photosynthesis respiration decomposition combustion

Question 29

the movement of carbon- hydrological factors driving change in magnitude over time

Answer 29

oceanic carbon pump: physical (inorganic) pump biological (ORGANIC) PUMP

Question 30

what are the two types of carbon sequestration in the ocean

Answer 30

physical (inorganic) pump biological (organic) pump

Question 31

Physical INorganic pump

Answer 31

Involved in mixing of surface and deep oceans by vertical currents creating a more even distribution of carbon. Initially co2 enters oceans from difussion Water and so the carbon move from low latitude to high latitude where cold water sinks (down welling) this takes co2 to the depths of the ocean and moves back to high latitude where warm water rises (upwelling) so moves co2 to the surface The cold carbon rich water rises to surface and diffuses back to atmosphere

Question 32

Biological organic pump

Answer 32

Living things in the ocean move carbon from the atmosphere into the surface water and then down into deeper oceans, and eventually into rocks: Carbon is incorporated into marine organisms by photosynthesis or shell builders, when the organisms die structural carbon e.g. shells sink to the bottom. The material lies on the floor as carbon rich sediment and over millions if years sediment will be buried to lock the carbon away where layers build p.

Question 33

Changes in carbon over time

Answer 33

Carbon has been fluctuationing for hundreds and thousands of years and higher concentration of co2 is associated with higher temps, in theory co2 triggers temp change however temp change also has an impact on co2. Nowadays co2 has exceeded 400 ppm due to industrialisation

Question 34

Impacts of cold conditions on carbon stores and transfers

Answer 34

-chemical weathering process more active- cold water can hold more co2 -forest coverage would be very different and effects photosynthesis and respiration. -decomposes less effective so carbon transfer reduced -less water flowed in oceans as carbon locked up as ice and so less build up on ocean floor -soil frozen

Question 35

Impact of warm conditions on carbon stores and transfers

Answer 35

Melting of permafrost in tundra regions has released carbon stored. Together with other gasses such as methane is now being released into atmosphere which enhances greenhouse effect- positive feedback loop

Question 36

Physical factors that are responsible for changed in carbon over time and scale

Answer 36

Wildfires- can be started naturally e.g. lightening strikes however increasingly started deliberately by people. Wildfires can turn forests from being a carbon sink into a carbon source as combustion emits to atmosphere. Plant re growth takes up emmoitted co2, carbon neural fire-re growth cycles and also produces charcoal. Scale- despite restricted to small land they can have regional impacts. Release of carbon is instant but re growth may take hundreds of years. Volcanic activity- carbon released in recent eruptions has not detected global warming because co2 emitted is very little to humans and historic eruptions may have released more. Co2 counteracted by sulfur dioxide. Scale- nearly global- short cooling effect of planets past. Not large temporal scale- humans contribute

Question 37

Human factors that effect changes in carbon over time

Answer 37

Hydrocarbon extraction and combustion Farming practices Deforestation and urbanisation (land use changes)

Question 38

How hydrocarbon extraction and combustion effect changes in carbon over time

Answer 38

Most of worlds gas and oil is extracted from rocks 70-100 m years old where it was previously buried Carbon has been locked in these rocks for all thus time when burned fir energy and power it is released instantly and primarily as co2 in the atmosphere, increasing cycling of carbon. 90% of anthropogenic emissions There’s an uneven distribution around the world- more in china and little in S America

Question 39

How farming practices have lead to changed in carbon over time

Answer 39

-fertiliser has become more common and is one of the main source of carbon emissions -1/3 methane comes from cows which is human induced Rice yeilds increased by 25% which has resulted in 40% increase in carbon and is now one of the most widely consumed foods Temporal- as pop growing more food is required so a higher yeild and increase in technology Spactially concentrated in Asia with global impacts