Processes involved within the transfers of carbon

Question 1

what type of system is the carbon cycle

Answer 1

closed system- inputs and outputs of energy but the amount of carbon stays the same

Question 2

what percentage of anthropogenic carbon released comes from the combustion of fossil fuels

Answer 2

90%

Question 3

what percentage of anthropogenic carbon is absorbed by oceans

Answer 3

24%

Question 4

combustion- what happens and how is carbon transferred

Answer 4

organic material contains carbon- when it is burned in the presence of oxygen it combusts and returns carbon back to the atmosphere.

Question 5

burial and compaction- what happens and how is carbon transferred (clue: oil and shells)

Answer 5

buried organic matter— compacts= oil
corals and shelled organisms take up CO2 from the water and convert it to calcium carbonate. when they die some is dissolved back but rest will compact

Question 6

what is carbon sequestration

Answer 6

is an umbrella term used to describe the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to plants, soils, rock formations and oceans. is natural and human process

Question 7

what is the biological pump

Answer 7

organisms moving carbon in one direction

Question 8

example of biological pump

Answer 8

organisms die– dead shells sink into deep water– decay releases CO2 into this deep water. if they sink right to the bottom it forms layers of carbon rich sediments. over millions of years these may turn into the rocks— lock up carbon for millions of years

Question 9

explain the concept of a carbon pump in water

Answer 9

warm water absorbs more co2 than cold water– leads to ‘verticle deep mixing’– where warm water in tropic regions is carried to polar regions— when water is colder it sinks to the bottom— when the cold water returns to the surface and warms up it releases co2 back into the atmosphere