the carbon cycle

Question 1

what is carbon

Answer 1

all known living organisms are built of carbon compounds- it is the fundamental building block of life and an important component of many chemical processes

Question 2

what different states can carbon be found

Answer 2

gas (carbon dioxide)
liquid (carbonic acidic water)
solid (calcium carbonate in rocks)

Question 3

What is the carbon cycle?

Answer 3

the continuous movement of carbon compounds between the land, oceans, atmosphere and living organisms in its various states is referred to as the carbon cycle

Question 4

what are the two main processes of the carbon cycle

Answer 4

processes that remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

processes that release it back into the atmosphere

Question 5

where is most of Earth’s carbon stored

Answer 5

stored in rocks, with the remainder in the ocean, atmosphere, plants, soil and fossil fuels

Question 6

explain the relationship between the carbon cycle and the atmosphere

Answer 6

while carbon dioxide is only a very small part of the atmosphere (0.04%), it plays a key role in the energy balance of the planet and in influeing climate

the atmosphere exchanges carbon dioxide

Question 7

what natural causes remove carbon from the atmosphere

Answer 7

precipitation
photosynthesis in the oceans
erosion
sedimentation

Question 8

describe carbon in water

Answer 8

as carbon enters the surface of the water, cold sinking water transfers the carbon down to the bottom layers of the ocean.

over time this carbon at the bottom of the ocean cements together with shells and other sediments to form the sedimentary rock limestone, which can be stored carbon for millions of years.

Question 9

what happens if the carbon is brought back towards the surface

Answer 9

warm oceans and currents bring carbon back towards the surface, where through evaporation carbon is put back into the atmosphere.

Question 10

what are plants continuously doing

Answer 10

exchanging CO2 with the atmosphere

Question 11

describe photosynthesis and the carbon cycle

Answer 11

green plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis

plants absorb CO2 via their chlorophyll which is combined with water and heat energy to build the new carbon compound of glucose to supply the plant’s cells with energy for growth and functioning

CO2 is also a waste product in respiration. as such animals and humans exhale CO2 back into the atmosphere

Question 12

what will the decaying/burning of plants result in

Answer 12

will result in CO2 being released back into the atmosphere.

Question 13

what are the different carbon cycles

Answer 13

the fast carbon cycle
the slow carbon cycle

Question 14

what is the fast carbon cycle

Answer 14

acts within a single lifetime

Question 15

what is the slow carbon cycle

Answer 15

operates over 100-200 million years

Question 16

describe the balance between the atmsphere and the carbon cycle

Answer 16

any change in cycle shifts carbon out of one part of the system and puts more carbon in other parts of the system.

over the long term, the carbon cycle seems to maintain a balance that prevents all of earths carbon from entering the atmosphere or from being stored underground

Question 17

describe the earth’s temperature over a short period of time

Answer 17

for shorter time periods, 10-100 thousand years the temperature of the earth can vary, the earth swings between colder glacial periods (ice ages) and warmer interglacial periods on these time scales

parts of the carbon cycle may even amplify these short-term temperature changes

Question 18

describe the earth’s temperature over a long period of time

Answer 18

on a very long time scale, millions to tens of millions of years, the movement of tectonic plants and changes in the rate at which carbon seeps from the interior of the earth may change the temperature

Question 19

how does carbon regulate the earth’s global temperature

Answer 19

the carbon cycle has a critical role to play in regulating earths global temperature and climate by controlling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

CO2 is important because it helps the earth’s atmosphere to retain heat generated from the sun. without it, earth be much cooler and uninhabitable to humans and other life forms

Question 20

disruptions to the carbon cycle include

Answer 20

direct burning of fossil fuels

reduction in strong capacity of carbon reservoirs through warming oceans

clearing forest

destroying wetlands

Question 21

what can these disruptions cause to the atmosphere

Answer 21

this can lead to too much CO2 in the atmosphere. this enhances the greenhouse effect, causing unnatural warming of the planet.

since the industrial revolution CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by 48% which causes a 1.1 degree warming of surface temperature

as the amount of CO2 increases through human activity so will its cooling effect

Question 22

what do higher temperatures cause

Answer 22

changing rainfall patterns

increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards (draughts, bushfires, floods, storms and tropical cyclones)

the additional burden of CO2 in the atmosphere will remain for a very long time, of the order of 1000’s of years, if we must rely on natural mechanisms to remove it.