6. The Carbon Cycle And Carbon Stores Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is carbon?
A non-metal which has two main pure solid forms, diamond and graphite.
GIve a fact about carbon
It is the most abundant element on earth - 90% of all compound on earth contain carbon
How much carbon is stored in the atmosphere?
0.015% of all carbon is stored in the atmosphere
What does carbon form when mixed with rainwater in the atmosphere?
carbonic acid
How much carbon is stored in the lithosphere (and marine sediments)?
99.9% of all carbon is stored in the lithosphere.
Give 3 examples of carbon stores found in the lithosphere.
- Marine sediment
- Soil organic matter
- Peat
How much carbon is stored in the hydrosphere?
0.0076% of all carbon is stored here
Compare the storage of carbon in the intermediate layer with the storage of carbon in the surface layer of the ocean.
How much carbon is stored in the cryosphere?
0.0018% of all carbon is stored here
Compare the storage of carbon in the cryosphere with the storage of carbon in the atmosphere.
How much carbon does permafrost contain?
1400 gigatonnes
How much carbon is stored in the biosphere?
0.012% of all carbon is stored here
How does carbon enter the biosphere? Why is this important?
It is extracted from the atmosphere and the hydrosphere and builds organic sructures.
Describe the storage of carbon in the pedosphere (soil layer)
- Peat is an accumulation of partially decomposed organic material
- Carbon from dead organic matter is decomposed by bacterias and fungi to become the top humus layer of the soil
What is the residence time in terms of carbon?
How long carbon can be stored.
Describe the global pattern (distribution) of carbon storage in plants.
- Tropical and subtropical forests, for example The Amazon Rainforest, store the largest amount of carbon out of any biome
- Carniferous forests in the northern hemisphere store a high density of carbon (e.g in Russia and Canada)
- There is a low carbon density in the Sahara since desert areas are completely deprived of vegetation.
Give two examples of carbon stores with a long residence time.
- Land plants (5 years)
- Atmosphere (3 years)
Give two examples of carbon stores with a short residence time.
- Fossil fuels (650 years)
- Sedimentary rocks (150 million years)
What are the major stores of carbon in the pedosphere?
- Carbon is mostly stored in the high latitudes towards the north in the form of permafrost.
How does the distribution of carbon in the pedosphere compare to the biosphere?
In the pedosphere, carbon is mostly stored in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, most carbon within soils is stored in permafrost.
Why is the lithosphere an important carbon store?
Why is the hydrosphere an important carbon store?
Why is the cryosphere an important carbon store?
Why is the pedosphere an important carbon store?
