The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
What is carbon?
A element
Where is carbon found?
In organic stores and inorganic stores
How much carbon is in sedimentary rocks - lithosphere?
99.9%
How much carbon is in fossil fuels - lithosphere?
0.04%
Where does CO2 dissolve? - hydrosphere
Rivers, lakes and oceans
How much carbon is in oceans?
0.04%
What is carbon stored as in the atmosphere?
CO2 and CH4 - methane
How much carbon is in the atmosphere?
0.001%
Where is carbon stored as in the biosphere?
The tissues of living organisms then transferred to soil when they die and decay.
How much carbon is in the biosphere?
0.004%
Where is carbon stored as in the cyrosphere?
In the soil in areas of permafrost where decomposing animals and plants have frozen into the ground.
What is the carbon cycle?
The process by which carbon is stored and transferred
Is the carbon cycle a open or closed system?
Closed
What are the 4 flows between stores in the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Sequestration
Where does photosynthesis transfer carbon to and from?
Atmosphere to biosphere
What is photosynthesis?
Plants use energy from the sun to change CO2 & water into glucose and oxygen.
What does photosynthesis enable for plants?
For them to grow
How is carbon released in photosynthesis?
Respiration and decomposition
Where does combustion transfer carbon to and from?
From living, dead or decomposed biomass to the atmosphere.
What causes carbon flow in combustion?
Wildfires
Where does carbon directly dissolve from to and to?
Atmosphere to the ocean.
Where does respiration transfer carbon to and from?
From living organisms to the atmosphere
What is respiration?
Plants and animals break down glucose for energy, releasing CO2 and methane in the process.
Where does decomposition transfer carbon to and from?
From dead biomass to the atmosphere and the soil.
What is decomposition?
After death, bacteria and fungi break organisms down. CO2 and methane are released.
How is some carbon transferred to the soil?
In the form of humus
Where does weathering transfer carbon from and to?
From the atmosphere to the hydrosphere and biosphere.
How is acid rain formed?
When atmospheric carbon reacts with water vapour.
What happens when acid rain falls onto rocks?
Dissolves the rock and the molecules wash into the sea.
What happens with the molecules in the water?
It reacts with CO2 to form calcium carbonate which is used by sea creatures e.g to make shells.
What is carbon sequestration?
When carbon is captured and held in sedimentary rocks or as fossil fuels.
How long does it take for carbon sequestration to happen?
Millions of years
What are the 2 natural processes that can change the carbon cycle?
Wildfires
Volcanic Activity
What do wildfires transfer from biomass to the atmosphere?
Large quantities of carbon
Why does photosynthesis decrease due to wildfires?
Loss of vegetation
How can wildfires help in the long term?
Can encourage the growth of new plants, which can take in carbon from the atmosphere for photosynthesis.
How does volcanic activity affect the carbon cycle?
Carbon stored in magma released during volcanic eruptions
Name 4 human impacts that affect the carbon cycle
Fossil fuel extraction and use
Farming practices
Land use changes
Deforestation
What does extracting and using FF do to the atmosphere?
Releases CO2 and this leads to rising temperatures.
What would of happened to the carbon if there was no human intervention?
It would have remained sequestration in the lithosphere for years to come.
What is deforestation?
Removed of forests for agriculture, logging or urbanisation
What does deforestation do to the carbon cycle?
Reduces the size of the carbon store
What happens if the cleared forest is then burned?
Rapid flow of carbon from biosphere to the atmosphere
What do animals do to the carbon cycle?
Release CO2 and methane when they respire and digest food
What does ploughing do to the carbon cycle?
Release CO2 stored in soil
What has mechanisation of farming done to the earth?
Increased CO2 emissions
What does removal of vegetation do to the carbon cycle?
Reduces carbon storage in the biosphere
What does the production of concrete do the carbon cycle?
Releases lots of CO2 into the atmosphere
What is the carbon budget?
The balance between carbon inputs and outputs
What does the carbon budget of a subsystem determine?
Whether it acts as a carbon source
How does the carbon cycle affect the concentration of greenhouse gases?
Temperatures increase
How does the carbon cycle affect plants?
Allows plants to grow
If there was no decomposition, what would happen?
Dead plants would remain where they fell and nutrients would never be recycled
What can changes in the carbon cycle - increased temps do to land?
Permafrost can melt which leads to carbon being released
What else can increase with the increase in global temperatures?
Frequency of wildfires
What is CO2 in oceans used by?
Organisms such as phytoplankton and seaweed during photosynthesis
What can increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere do to the ocean?
Increase the acidify and have adverse effects on marine life
How can global warming affect oceans?
Can lead to a decrease in certain species if temps are too high
Outline how changes to the carbon cycle can affect the carbon cycle.
(4 marks)
Increased levels of CO2 can lead to a increase in acidity in oceans.
Can cause global warming and lead to a increase in temperatures.
Can lead to a decrease in species due to high temps.
Warmer water is less able to absorb CO2 decreasing the amount of CO2 that could potentially be dissolved in oceans.
What do greenhouse gases cause?
A natural greenhouse effect that prevents some energy from escaping into space and reflects it back to Earth.
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Where additional greenhouse gases reflect more energy back to the Earth
When carbon combines with water in the atmosphere, what does this allow?
Chemical weathering
The pattern of precipitation is expected to change, what can this cause in some areas of the world?
Water shortages
With extreme weather events expected to get more frequent what will happen in LIDCs?
They will be worst affected
If agricultural productivity decreases, what can this lead to?
Food shortages
What is the IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
What does IPCC do?
Share knowledge about climate change
What will happen to coastal and low-lying areas if sea levels rise?
Risk of flooding
What are 3 things humans can do individually to mitigate the impacts of climate change?
Use public transport more
Buy more fuel efficient cars
Make homes more energy efficient
What on a global scale can humans do to mitigate climate change?
Countries can work together to reduce emissions.
What are 2 examples of attempts to mitigate climate change on a global scale?
Paris Agreement in 2015
Kyoto Protocol in 1997
What is CCS?
Carbon Capture and Storage - CO2 emitted from burning fossil fuels captured and stored underground.
What is the current level of CO2 in parts per million (ppm)?
430 ppm
How much carbon (GTC) is in the lithosphere?
Up to 100,000,000 GTC
How much carbon (GTC) is in the oceans?
37,000 to 40,000 GTC
How much carbon (GTC) is in the biosphere?
3170 GTC
How much carbon (GTC) is in the atmosphere?
720 to 800 GTC
How much carbon is trapped in permafrost?
1572 GTC
If 10% of permafrost melted, how much will temperature rise by?
0.7C
What has been the change in ocean acidity since 1750?
0.1 - 30% change in acidity
What has been the sea level rise since 1990s?
3.1mm/year
How much carbon was there pre-industrial revolution?
280ppm
What is a carbon sink?
If more carbon enters a carbon store then leaves it
What is a carbon source?
If more carbon leaves a carbon store than enters it
What is an example of a positive feedback loop in the carbon cycle?
As CO2 enters the atmosphere, it gets warmer as the oceans warm, they release more co2 which causes more warming which then causes more co2 to be released
What is an example of a negative feedback loop in the carbon cycle?
Increased co2 in the atmosphere causes more plants to grow but then more co2 gets absorbed into the biosphere and then lowers temperature
What is the albedo effect?
Light coloured surfaces return a large part of sunrays back to atmosphere - high albedo
Dark coloured surfaces absorb the rays of the sun - low albedo
What is a steady-state equilibrium?
Refers to a situation where variations in processes and the response do not deviate too far from the long-term average
What is a dynamic equilbrium?
The whole system shifts so although the processes remain close to long-term average, the long-term average itself changes
What shows dynamic equilbrium?
Climates over time
What is anthropogenic carbon dioxide?
Carbon dioxide generated by human activities
What is a major store in the long-term carbon cycle?
Lithosphere
What are inorganic deposits of carbon in the lithosphere?
Fossil fuels and natural gases as well as carbonate-based sedimentary deposits like limestone
What are organic forms of carbon in the lithosphere?
Litter, organic matter
What is the long-term carbon cycle?
Carbon takes 100-200 million years to travel through the long-term/slow carbon cycle
What is the short-term carbon cycle?
May only take hundreds of years or less
What are the 5 geological components of the carbon cycle?
Weathering
Deposition
Burial
Uplift and subduction
Volcanic eruptions
What is weathering?
The breakdown of rocks
What is deposition?
When deposited in the ocean, the ions will form new minerals such as calcium carbonate - forms reefs
What is burial?
Layers of sediment are compacted by more layers above them preserving the carbon in limestone and locking it away in the lithosphere
What is uplift?
Tectonic movements can cause mountains to be formed which push up rocks formed on the sea floor which are then exposed and weathered
What is subduction?
Subduction of tectonic plates and this buries some sediment on the plate and takes it down further into the crust and as the plate melts, the carbon is released through volcanoes
What are the 3 terrestrial biomass stores in the short-term carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Decomposition
What is photosynthesis in terms of the short-term cycle?
Plants, phytoplankton plus algae can turn carbon into organic matter through photosynthesis
What is respiration?
Oxygen is added to carbohydrate to break it down to energy, water and C02
How much carbon does the surface layer of the ocean store?
900 GTC
How much carbon does the intermediate and deep layer of the ocean store?
37,100 GTC
How much carbon is stored in living organic matter?
30 GTC
When does the solution carbon pump occur?
As carbon diffuses into surface waters and is taken down into the deep ocean by sinking ocean currents
Why does the solution pump happen?
Due to the ocean circulation - cold, dense salty water sinks causing deep currents
What is the biological carbon pump?
Photosynthesis causes plankton to take up carbon and when they die, they sink to the bottom, transferring carbon from surface to deep ocean
How can carbon sequestration occur? 2 ways
Natural processes
Human intervention
What are 3 parts of CCS?
Capturing the CO2
Transporting and securely storing
How is CO2 captured in CCS?
Capture technologies that allow the separation from gases produced in electricity generation and pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxy-fuel combustion
How is CO2 transported in CCS?
By pipeline or by ship
How are carbon emission reduction treaties agreed?
The IPCC researches data, policy suggestions and mitigation strategies and this feeds into the UN conference of the Parties
What is the IPCC?
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change
What does the IPCC aim to do?
Aims to provide governments at all levels with scientific information to develop climate policies
What is the IPCC’s recommended limits?
To keep temperatures rising, they have said CO2 emitted needs to be reduced
What is the COP?
Conference of the Parties
What happens at COP?
Change agreements and progress assessments
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on 37 industrialised countries
When did the Kyoto Protocol come into play?
2005
Was the Kyoto Protocol successful?
No
What was the Paris Agreement?
Aim to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temp rise below 2C
When did the Paris Agreement come into play?
2015
What are 3 ways to reduce carbon emissions?
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels
Increase use of renewable energy
Increase energy efficiency
What was announced in 2020 to reduce greenhouse emissions by the UK?
UK aims to cut greenhouse emissions by 68% by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050
What is the 2024 update for the UK’s aim made in 2020?
Government has pledged to keep to net zero by 2050 and have planned how
