the carbon cycle as a system

Question 1

what is NPP (net primary productivity

Answer 1

the energy accumulated and stored in plants, photosynthesis and respiration

Question 2

what do we know about carbon

Answer 2

• it makes up organic compounds
• carbon is in its largest store in rocks e.g. carbonate rock
• trees store carbon

Question 3

how is carbon stored in the atmosphere (0.5%)

Answer 3

stored as the gas carbon dioxide and to a lesser extent as methane.

Question 4

how is carbon stored in the biosphere (1.5%)

Answer 4

stored in organic molecules in living and dead plants and animals in the soil, it is stored as organic matters from dead plant material. and the activity of microorganism, the process of decay releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Question 5

how is carbon stored in the oceans (28%)

Answer 5

stored as dissolved carbon dioxide, but also as calcium carbonate, in the shells of marine life, mostly stored at great depths, only 4% is found on the oceans surface.

Question 6

how is carbon stored in the lithosphere (69.5%)

Answer 6

stored as fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) also in sedimentary rock, such as chalk and limestone (the lithosphere, is the largest store of carbon)

Question 7

how do phytoplankton play a crucial role in the carbon cycle

Answer 7

absorb carbon dioxide, via photosynthesis and some sink to the bottom of the ocean, betting trapped, under sediment thus leading to carbon being trapped

Question 8

how are carbon containing rocks produced (TWO WAYS)

Answer 8

• the hardening of mud (containing organic matter) into shale over geological time
• the collection of calcium carbonate particles, from the shells and skeletons of marine organisms

Question 9

state 2 ways, that carbon can be returned to the atmosphere

Answer 9

• when volcanoes erupt, they release huge amounts of magma which is full of gas, thus releasing carbon dioxide
• by the process of combustion, where we burn fossil fuels, thus adding excess carbon into the atmosphere, in turn we are removing a large store of carbon from the ground, when we remove the fossil fuels in order to burn them

Question 10

what is combustion

Answer 10

occurs when organic material reacts or burn in the presence of oxygen. this process will release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Question 11

what is precipitation

Answer 11

this can dissolve atmospheric carbon dioxide, and this can from a weak carbonic acid. Anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, can increase the acidity of rainfall. This can have devastating effects on vegetation, human structures and fish stocks in lakes and rivers

Question 12

what is weathering

Answer 12

the in situ breakdown of rocks. When it involves the chemical action of rainwater, occurs because the water is a weak carbonic acid, which is able to dissolve limestone and chalk by carbonation

Question 13

what is respiration

Answer 13

defined as the movement of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction

Question 14

what is decomposition

Answer 14

micro - organisms such as bacteria and fungi breakdown dead organic matter extracting energy and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Question 15

what is photosynthesis

Answer 15

the process, by which green plants and certain other organism, transform light energy into chemical energy. light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide and minerals into oxygen and energy rich organic compounds (initially glucose)

Question 16

how might the process of combustion occur naturally

Answer 16

via the eruption of a volcano

Question 17

what is the physical pump

Answer 17

involves the mixing of surface and deep ocean waters, by vertical currents, creating a more even distribution, of carbon, both vertically and geographically

Question 18

what is the biological pump

Answer 18

• carbon, is also exchanged between oceans and the atmosphere, through the action of marine organisms, globally 500t of carbon is drawn from the atmosphere by the biological pump each year.
• marine organisms are the driving force behind the Marine pump.

Question 19

why does upwelling occur around the equator and downwelling occur near the poles

Answer 19

Due to the trade winds, at the equator blowing surface water both north and south, downwelling happens at the poles, due to colder water which is more dense, and will sink

Question 20

what is the largest store of carbon

Answer 20

Sedimentary rock (100,000,000 (billion tonnes))