Stores Of Carbon

Question 1

Name the three largest stores of carbon

Answer 1

The lithosphere, the hydrosphere and the cryosphere

Question 2

Name the three pumps of carbon

Answer 2

Biological, carbonate and physical pump

Question 3

What does the biological pump involve?

Answer 3

-The uptake of carbon by marine organisms such as phytoplankton

Question 4

What does the carbonate pump involve?

Answer 4

• organisms use calcium carbonate to form shells and skeletons
  -when these organisms die they sink to the bottom of the ocean and lock carbon away for millions of years.

Question 5

What does the physical pump involve?

Answer 5

-surface waters rich in co2 are transported to the deep ocean through downwelling and can remain in deep oceans for thousands of yrs before returning through upwelling.