Stores Of Carbon

Question 1

What is the main global store of carbon?
And how many GtC does it store?

Answer 1

Marine sediment and sedimentary rock
100million Gtc

Question 2

In the terrestrial biosphere, list which types of forests store the most carbon overall:

Answer 2

Boreal - 26%
Tropical Rainforest - 20%
Temperate Grassland - 10%
Agriculture - 9%
Tundra - 8%
Savannah - 8%
Wetland - 7%
Temperate forests - 7%
Deserts - 5%

Question 3

How many GtC are stored in Soil/Soil organic carbon?

Answer 3

1600GtC

Question 4

How much GtC(Gigatonnes of carbon) are stored in the ocean (surface water, twilight zone and deep ocean?

Answer 4

38,000Gtc
Twilight zone and deep ocean - 37,100 Gtc
Surface water - 900 Gtc

Question 5

How many Gtc are stored in the Permafrost?
And what percentage of total carbon does it make up?

Answer 5

1700 Gtc
Makes less than 0.01% of total carbon

Question 6

What is the current PPM(Parts per million) of carbon in the Atmosphere?
And is this the highest concentration for how many years?

Answer 6

400ppm (720 - 800Gtc)
Highest carbon concentration in 800,000 years
Estimated increase by 2ppm per year