The geological carbon cycle Flashcards
Carbon cycle definition
The movement of carbon through the atmosphere, land and ocean
Carbon sink
A store which takes in more carbon than it emits (rainforest)
Carbon stores =
sea, ground, atmosphere, hydrosphere, living and dead organisms
Carbon sequestration
the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to other stores. Can be natural to artificial
Photosynthesis
Plants convert co2 to oxygen
Combustion
fossil fuels burnt to release co2
Decomposition
dead animals broken down by decomposers which releases co2
Diffusion
Oceans absorbing co2. Too much co2 absorbed can cause coral bleaching
Sedimentation
Shell fragments compact to form limestone, or other rocks
Volcanic outgassing
Pockets of co2 in the earth’s crust can be released during a volcanic eruption or from a fissure in the crust
Largest carbon sink
Oceans store 50x more co2 than the atmosphere. ocean sequestration
Thermohaline circulation
deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water’s density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline)
Phytoplankton
microscopic plants and plant-like organisms drifting or floating in the sea/freshwater along with small crustaceans. This effectively converts carbon dioxide into food for zooplantic (microscopic animals) and their predators. They consume carbon dioxide, and release oxygen
Why is too much carbon in the ocean bad for phytoplankton?
Can cause phytoplankton to die so less carbon is turned into co2 and make more carbon in the ocean
warmer oceans store less co2 bc…
It becomes saturated with CO2
