Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Physical Geography AQA > The Carbon Cycle🐚 > Flashcards

The Carbon Cycle🐚 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
1
Q

What is a carbon store?

A

The lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a carbon sink?

A

A store that takes in more carbon than it releases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a carbon source?

A

A store that releases more carbon than it takes in

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a carbon transfer?

A

Processes that transfer carbon between stores

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is a GtG?

A

A gigatonne of carbon
1 gigatonne = 1 billion tonnes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is anthropogenic CO2?

A

Carbon Dioxide generated by human activity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a greenhouse gas?

A

Any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, therefore trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A

The crust and uppermost mantle, the hard rigid outer layer of the Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is Weathering?

A

the breakdown of rocks in situ by weather, plants and animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

The total sum of all living matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is Carbon sequestration?

A

The capture of CO2 from the atmosphere, or capturing CO2 from large scale stationary sources such as power stations - put in to long term storage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Why is recycling carbon essential for life?

A

It enables food to be provided for animals and plants and creation of energy sources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What can carbon form?

A

Biological molecules, gases(CO2, CH4), hydrocarbons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what is the primary source of carbon?

A

The Earth’s interior

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are some of the stores in the carbon cycle?

A

sedimentary rock, coal, oil, gas, plants, atmosphere, phytoplankton etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are some transfers in the carbon cycle?

A

Weathering and erosion
Rock cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Burning
Decompostion
Diffusion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the largest store of carbon?

A

Marine sediments and sedimentary rock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How is the ocean a store of carbon?

A

CO2 Is absorbed directly from the air and river water discharges carbon in solution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How is soil organic matter a store of carbon?

A

They contain rotting organic matter and are important carbon stores. Carbon can remain in the soils for hundreds of years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are inorganic sources of carbon in the lithosphere?

A

Fossil fuels eg/coal,oil, natural gas
Carbonate-based sedimentary deposits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are organic sources of carbon within the lithosphere?

A

Litter
Organic matter
Humic substances in soils

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the three stores of carbon in the lithosphere?

A

Marine sediments & sedimentary rock
Soil organic matter
Fossil fuel deposits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How is carbon in the biosphere divided up?

A

into terrestrial and oceanic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What are the main sources of carbon in the biosphere?

A

Living vegetation
Plant litter
Soil Humus
Peat
Animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Where is most of the carbon in the cyosphere?

A

In the soil areas of permafrost where decomposing plants and animals have frozen into the ground

26
Q

What are methyl clathrates?

A

Molecules of methane frozen into ice crystals

27
Q

What does most frozen organic matter in permafrost consist of?

A

Partially decayed roots, whole roots and other plant material

28
Q

When is cryopheric carbon released into the atmosphere?

A

When the permafrost melts

29
Q

What are oceanic stores divided into?

A

Surface water(euphotic zone)
Intermediate and deep layer
Living organic matter

30
Q

What is the euphotic zone?

A

The surface of the ocean where sunlight can penetrate and photosynthesis can take place

31
Q

Why are sediments and rocks in the ocean so carbon rich?

A

Because when organisms die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean and decay, releasing carbon

32
Q

What are fluxes?

A

Measurements of rate of flow of materials between stores

33
Q

What are processes?

A

Physical mechanisms which drive movement and fluxes

34
Q

What type of system is the carbon cycle?

A

Closed

35
Q

What is burial and compaction?

A

Organic matter is buried by sediments and becomes compacted

36
Q

What is the geological component?

A

Where the carbon cycle interacts with the rock cycle in the processes of weathering, burial, subduction and volcanic eruptions

37
Q

What is a sere?

A

A succession which relates to a specific environment

38
Q

What is a lithosere?

A

Vegetation succession which occurs on bare rock

39
Q

When was the quaternary period?

A

2.6 million year ago to today

40
Q

Cold rainwater can hold…

A

more CO2

41
Q

If rainwater can hold more CO2, how is the rock affected?

A

It is weathered more

42
Q

What is eccentricity?

A

The change in the shape of the Earth’s orbit around the sun

43
Q

How does the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit change?

A

in 100,000 year cycles, it changes from a thin eclipse to a circle and back again

44
Q

What is insolation?

A

the amount of sold radiation that reaches the earths surface

45
Q

What does lower insolation mean for global temperatures?

A

they decrease

46
Q

What natural factors can increase input of atmospheric CO2?

A

periods of increased volcanicity

47
Q

What human factors can increase the input of atmospheric CO2?

A

Burning fossil fuels
Causing more wildfires
Climate Change causing melting of tundra

48
Q

What natural factors can reduce removal of CO2 from the atmosphere?

A

Glacial periods(less vegetation)
Interglacial periods(warmer oceans, less CO2 absorbed)
Winter in the northern hemisphere, hibernation

49
Q

What human factors can reduce the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere?

A

Clearing vegetation from areas
Climate change resulting in warmer oceans

50
Q

What % of anthropogenic CO2 is from fossil fuel burning?

A

90%

51
Q

How does ploughing increase CO2 emissions?

A

It aerates soil, increasing microbial activity and therefore decomposition, more CO2 released

52
Q

What are the human factors which can cause changes in the carbon cycle?

A

Combustion of fossil fuels
Land use
Farming practices
Carbon sequestration
Deforestation
Urbanisation

53
Q

How does deforestation affect the carbon cycle?

A

Above ground biomass is burned, releasing CO2
Forest clearing may accelerate decay of dead wood, litter or below ground organic carbon
In a natural system, trees would decay very slowly
Upsets the balance of carbon in the forest

54
Q

How can deforestation impact soils?

A

Without shade from trees, the soils dry out

55
Q

How does urbanisation affect the carbon cycle?

A

Replacing open countryside with concrete and tarmac replaces important stores
Urban areas produce far more CO2 than rural areas

56
Q

What does terrestrial/biological sequestration involve?

A

The use of plants to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in stems and roots

57
Q

What is the carbon budget?

A

Uses data to describe the amount of carbon that is stored and transferred within the carbon cycle

58
Q

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

A

The impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to increased CO2

59
Q

What is geo-sequestration?

A

Technology capturing greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and pumping them into underground reservoirs

60
Q

What is radiative forcing?

A

The difference between incoming solar energy absorbed by the Earth and energy radiated back to space

61
Q

What is soil organic carbon (SOC)?

A

The organic constituents of the soil, tissues from dead plants/animals, products of decomposition, microbial mass etc.

62
Q

How is the carbon budget affecting ocean salinity?

A

Decrease in salinity in the deep North Atlantic, more freshwater being added to the ocean. Slowing down of large scale oceanic circulation

Physical Geography AQA (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions