The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
Describe the relationship between carbon and the lithosphere.
- 9% carbon stored in sedimentary rock
0. 004% C stored in fossil fuels
Describe the relationship between carbon and the atmosphere.
C stored as CO2 and methane
Stores 0.001% carbon
Describe the relationship between carbon and the hydrosphere.
CO2 dissolved in rivers, lakes, oceans
Oceans = 2nd largest C store, 0.04%
Describe the relationship between carbon and the biosphere
C stored in living tissue of organisms + transferred to soil when organisms die
Stores 0.004% of carbon
Describe the relationship between carbon and the cryosphere.
Stores 0.01% Carbon
Most in permafrost in frozen organisms
What happens in the carbon cycle?
Carbon is stored and transferred
How does photosynthesis affect the carbon cycle?
C -> biomass
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration + decomposition
How does respiration affect the carbon cycle?
Carbon in organisms -> atmosphere
- Organisms break down glucose and release CO2 and methane
How does combustion affect the carbon cycle?
Carbon in decomposed biomass -> atmosphere by burning
Wildfires
How does decomposition affect the carbon cycle?
Carbon in dead biomass -> atmosphere
Dead broken down by bacteria, CO2 + methane released
Some carbon -> soil
How does ocean uptake and loss affect the carbon cycle?
CO2 dissolves in ocean + enters ocean when organisms e.g. plankton absorb it
- Carbon rich water from deep ocean rises to surface + releases CO2
How does weathering affect the carbon cycle?
Chemical weathering transfers carbon from atmosphere -> biosphere
Acid rain = breaks down rock = products released into sea
How does sequestration affect the carbon cycle?
C from atmosphere sequestered -> sedimentary rock / fossil fuels
How do fossil fuels form?
Organism dies, falls to ocean floor, ocean floor compacted over millions of years
Carbon in fossil fuels stored until combustion
What are the 7 flows of carbon?
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration
- Carbon sequestration
- Ocean uptake and loss
- Combustion
- Decomposition
- Weathering
How do wildfires affect the carbon cycle?
- Rapidly transfer carbon from biomass to atmosphere
- Lost vegetation = less photoS = less C removed
- Aftermath = encourages plant growth, so can have neutral affect
How does volcanic activity affect the carbon cycle?
- C stored in magma in Earth released in eruption -> atmosphere
What 4 human activities affect the carbon cycle?
- Fossil fuel use
- Deforestation
- Farming
- Land use
How does fossil fuel use affect the carbon cycle?
- Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon
- W/o this, the C would’ve been kept stored for millions more years
How does deforestation affect the carbon cycle?
Reduced carbon store
If burnt = same effect as wildfire
How does farming affect the carbon cycle?
- Animals release carbon when they respire
- Ploughing increases carbon stored in soil
- Growing rice releases methane
- More food grown as pop. increases
How does land use affect the carbon cycle?
- Vegetation cleared for construction
- Concrete production releases CO2
What is the carbon budget?
Difference between outputs + inputs of carbon into a system
How does the carbon cycle affect the atmosphere and climate?
CC affects amount of carbon gases in atmosphere.
These are greenhouse gases - the higher their concentration the more global warming
How does the carbon cycle affect land?
Allows plants to grow.
Changes in CC = less carbon stored - global warming = permafrost melt = carbon released
How does the carbon cycle affect the oceans?
- CO2 dissolves straight into ocean
- CO2 used by photosynthesising animals + other organisms to make calcium carbonate for shells and bones
Global warming = phyotplankton die bc too high temp, less photosyntheis + warm oceans absorb less CO2
