1.C carbon cycle processes

Question 1

define carbon fluxes

Answer 1

the movement of carbon around the cycle between stores and reservoirs.

Question 2

define carbon reservoir

Answer 2

A place carbon remains for a period of time

Question 3

define carbon sink

Answer 3

more carbon enters the store then leaves it (tropical rainforest e.g)

Question 4

Define carbon source

Answer 4

more carbon leaves than enters.

Question 5

What is precipitation as a flux?

Answer 5

Known as acid rain
* CO2 mixes with rainwater to form weak carbonic acid

• When precipitation happens carbon flows back to the land and oceans - makes ocean acidic → marine life struggle to build and maintaining there skeletons - less carbon transported to sea floor
• As CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are ^ due to humans = ^ acid rain = ^ acidity of ocean

Question 6

How does the precipitation flux vary ?

Answer 6

As CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are ^ due to humans = ^ acid rain = ^ acidity of ocean

Question 7

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 7

• Photosynthesis is used by land plants and marine phytoplankton that convert light energy into chemical energy that can fuel organism’s activity
• This chemical energy is stored as carbohydrate molecules e.g sugars that are manufactured by CO2 and water

Question 8

How does the photosynthesis flux vary overtime?

Answer 8

Change overtime in one aspect = ^ photosynthesis (e.g high sunlight)

Question 9

What is the respiration flux?

Answer 9

• Reverse of photosynthesis → releases energy by breaking sugars → CO2 released into the atmosphere
• Part of the fast carbon cycle

Question 10

What is decomposition?

Answer 10

Carbon released CO2 when living organism dies and are decomposed by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria

Question 11

How does the decomposition vary?

Answer 11

Temp ^ = ^ decomposition

Question 12

what is the combustion flux?

Answer 12

• When organic material burns combustion occurs → causes CO2 to be released
• Combustion naturally happens by wildfires caused by lightning → Leads to increase nutrient and carbon recycling

Question 13

how does the combustion flux vary?

Answer 13

• Human activity causes combustion → burning of fossil fuels = net ^ CO2
• Burning biomass → carbon neutral

Question 14

What is the weathering flux?

Answer 14

Involves breaking down of rocks in situ or on surface of the earth
Occurs physical, biological or chemical processes

Chemical
* Most weathering involves rainwater (contains dissolved CO2)
* Rainwater a weak carbonic acid slowly dissolves limestone and chalk in carbonation → releases the carbon from limestones to stores

Physical
* Freezethaw increases surface area exposed to this attach

Question 15

What is the Oceanic Carbon Pumps - Physical?

Answer 15

Warmer waters - less downwelling → more release co2 into the atmosphere

• Co2 enters ocean from diffusion
• Surface ocean currents transport water with dissolved co2 to the poles where it cools and sinks → downwelling occurs carrying dissolved carbon to depths where individual molecules may remain for years
• Eventually it will rise ‘upwelling’ → to the surface and diffuse back to the atmosphere

Question 16

What is the Oceanic Carbon Pumps - biological?

Answer 16

Marine organisms drive the biological pump
* Living organisms in the ocean transfer carbon from the atmosphere into the surface waters via photosynthesis using this CO2 to build structures and skeletons ( organic carbon compounds)

• Carbon is passed through the food chain
  When organism die → sediment at the ocean floor → sedimentary rock formation
• Some marine organisms extract carbonate calcium ions from sea water to manufacture skeletons of calcium carbonate → eventually ends up in the sediments

Question 17

What is the volcanic activity flux?

Answer 17

CO2 and sulphur dioxide released from volcanic eruptions → leads to temp decline as sulphur dioxide reflects the sun’s energy back into space (Co2 held on to the energy reflects the sun energy)