The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
Carbon cycle
The biogeochemical cycle by which carbon moves from one sphere to another. It’s acts as a closed system made up of linked subsystems that have inputs, throughputs and outputs. Carbon stores function as sources (adding carbon to the atmosphere) and sinks (removing carbon from the atmosphere)
Fluxes
Movement of organic compounds through an ecosystem
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The leading international organisation for the scientific assessment of climate change
Anthropogenic
Processed and actions associated with human activity
Pentagrams (Pg) or Gigatonnes (Gt)
The units used to measure carbon; one pentagram, also known as a gigatonne, is equal to a trillion kilograms, or 1 billion tonnes
Reservoir turnover
The rate at which carbon enters and leaves a store is measured by the mass of carbon in any store divided by the exchange flux
Sequestering
The natural storage of carbon by physical or biological processes such as photosynthesis
Process
The physical mechanisms that drive the flux of material between stores
Carbon cycle pumps
The processes operating in oceans to circulate and store carbon. There are these sorts; biological, carbonate and physical
Thermohaline circulation
The global system of surface and deep water ocean currents is driven by temperatures (thermo) and salinity (haline) differences between areas of oceans
Millennium ecosystem assessment (MEA)
The UN millennium ecosystem assessment was the first major global audit of the health of ecosystems in 2005, highlighting their degradation (the loss of natural productivity through overuse and destruction)
Energy mix
The combination of different available energy sources used to meet a
country’s total energy demand. The exact proportions or mix vary from country to country. It is an important component of energy security
Energy pathway
The route taken by any form of energy from its source to its point of consumption. The routes involve different forms of transport such as tanker ships pipelines and electricity transmission grids
Biomass
Organic matter used as a fuel especially in power stations for the generation of electricity
Biofuel
A fuel derived immediately from living matter such as agricultural crops forestry or fishery products and various forms of waste. A distinction is made between primary and secondary biofuels
Land conversion
Any change from natural ecosystems to an alternative use; it usually reduces carbon and water stores and soil health
Remote sensing
Surveillance by satellites such as Landsat generates data that can authenticate or refute official government data
Afforestation
Planting trees on land that has never had forest or has been without forest for a long time
Reforestation
Planting trees in places with recent tree cover replacing lost primary forests
Geographical information system
Maps with “layers” of information are an important tool in analysing place characteristics
pH
A logarithmic measure of acidity or alkalinity. A value of 7 means neutral; above the pH is alkaline below this it is more acidic
Ocean acidification
The decrease in the pH of the Earths oceans caused by the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Ecosystem resilience
The level of disturbance that ecosystems can cope with while keeping their original state
Critical threshold
An abrupt change in an ecological state. Small environmental changes can trigger significant responses. Negative and positive feedback loops reinforce or undermine changes once an alternative stable state has become established
