The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
Carbon cycle
The biogeochemical cycle in which carbon moves from sphere to another
It acts as a closed system made up of linked sub-systems 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
Processes and actions associated with human activity
Petagrams (Pg) or gigatonnes (Gt)
The units used to measure carbon; one petagram also know 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
Processes
The physical mechanisms that drive the flux material between stores
Carbon cycle pumps
The processes operating in oceans to circulate and store carbon. Three different pumps:
The physical pump
The carbonate pump
The biological pump
Thermohaline circulation
The global system of surface and deep water ocean currents is driven by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) differences between areas of the ocean
Millennial Ecosystem Assessment (MEA)
The UN MEA 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)
Positive Feedback Loops
Cycles which perpetuate issues for example:
Global warming creates icemelt, permafrost thawing releases trapped methane, dying forests and warming oceans emit CO2, increased greenhouse emissions mean warming continues and gases continue to be released
Climate forcing
The causes/drivers of climate change, currently the most important driver is fossil fuel combustion
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 route involves different forms of transport, such as tanker ships, pipelines and electricity transmission grids
Biomass
Organic matter used as fuel, especially in power stations for the generation of electricity
Biofuel
A fuel derived immediately from living matter, such as agricultural crops, forestry and fishing products, and various forms of waste (foods, shops, catering etc.)
Primary biofuels
Fuelwood, wood chips and pellets and other organic materials that are used in an unprocessed form, primarily for heating, cooking or electricity generation
Secondary biofuels
The processing of biomass and include liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel which can be used by vehicles and in industrial processes
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
Geological Information Systems (GIS)
Maps with layers of information are an important part of analysing a place’s characteristics
pH
A logarithmic measure of acidity or alkalinity. A value of 7 means neutral; above this the pH is alkaline, below this is more acidic
Ocean acidification
The decrease in pH of the Earth’s oceans caused by the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere
Inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
A concentration of warm air that produces rainfall as part of a global circulation system (the Hadley cell) it moves north and south across the equator seasonally. Small shifts in this can cause drought
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 enviro changes can trigger significant responses
Negative and positive feedback loops reinforce or undermine changes once an alternative stable state has become established
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The intensification of the natural greenhouse effect by human activities, primarily through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, causing global warming
Sustainable management
The environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable use of ecosystems for present and future generations
Arctic barometer
A barometer measures pressure
The Arctic is already showing pressure on its natural systems from anthropogenic influences
Albedo flip
When the sunlight reflected by white ice is suddenly absorbed by ice melts, creating a dark surface of open water
Aquaculture
The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants
Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)
The IPCC has a range of views or scenarios, called RCPs or how the world would look in 2100 based on the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere
Their numbers show different radiative forcing, measured in watts per square metre, by 2100
This means the difference in atmospheric energy inputs and outputs since the industrial revolution
Climate change adaption
This includes any passive, reactive or anticipatory action taken to adjust to changing climatic conditions
Hard strategies: tech e.g. windfarms
Soft strategies: legislation e.g. land use zoning
Mitigation
The reduction and prevention of GHG emissions by new technologies and low carbon energies e.g. renewables and nuclear, becoming more energy efficient or changing attitudes and behaviour
