Transfers In The Carbon Cycle

Question 1

what are the 8 transfers in the carbon cycle?

Answer 1

photosynthesis
respiration
weather and erosion
combustion
decomposition
diffusion
burial and compaction
carbon sequestration

Question 2

what does combustion do?

Answer 2

when fossil fuels and organic matter are burnt they release CO2 into the atmosphere that was previously locked inside them

Question 3

what does decomposition do?

Answer 3

when living organisms die they are broken down by bacteria and DETRITIVORES which respire and release more CO2 into the atmosphere

Question 4

what’s the worlds biggest carbon store?

Answer 4

the ocean

Question 5

how much has ocean acidity risen by since pre-industrial times and how?

Answer 5

30% as the ocean can absorb CO2 by diffusion

Question 6

why is ocean acidity increasing a worry?

Answer 6

harms aquatic life causing coral bleaching too so many of the world’s coral reefs are under threat

Question 7

when does carbonation weathering occur?

Answer 7

CO2 mixes with rainwater creating carbonic acid eroding rocks like limestone

Question 8

what does carbon in the water allow marine organisms to do?

Answer 8

build their shells

Question 9

how does burial and compaction work JUST in the ocean?

Answer 9

shelled marine organisms die
shell fragments fall onto the ocean floor
become compacted over time
form limestone

Question 10

how does burial and compaction work on land/sea?

Answer 10

organic matter from vegetation and decaying marine organisms
compacted over time
form fossil fuel deposits

Question 11

what are the two ways carbon sequestration can take place?

Answer 11

plants sequester carbon by photosynthesis naturally

factories use carbon capture and storage (CCS) artificially.

Question 12

how does carbon capture and sequestration take place briefly?

Answer 12

CO2 captured
transported by pipeline
to depleted gas fields and saline aquifers