2. CARBON CYCLE EQ1

Question 2

What is carbon?

Answer 2

A common element within the composition of the earth that exists in several forms: gas (e.g. CO2), liquid (e.g. HCO3), solid (e.g. coal is 85% carbon)

Carbon makes up nearly 20% of mammals and 50% of plants’ composition.

Question 3

What are the three carbon stores?

Answer 3

1. Land (terrestrial)
2. Ocean
3. Atmosphere

Carbon moves between these stores through natural biogeochemical processes over a geological timescale.

Question 4

What is the biogeochemical carbon cycle?

Answer 4

The ways in which carbon moves between living and non-living forms and locations on earth

Includes processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.

Question 5

What is the significance of the carbon cycle for planetary health?

Answer 5

It maintains the balance of carbon in the atmosphere, which is crucial for climate stability and supporting life

Disruptions to the carbon cycle can lead to climate change.

Question 6

What is sequestration in the context of carbon?

Answer 6

Capturing and storing atmospheric carbon

This process helps mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas levels.

Question 7

Fill in the blank: 1 petagram of carbon = _______.

Answer 7

1 Gigatonne

Question 8

What are long-term carbon stores and their petagram values?

Answer 8

1. Crustal/terrestrial geological: 100,000,000 PgC
2. Fossil fuels: 4,000 PgC
3. Oceanic (Deep): 38,000 PgC

These stores cycle very slowly over millennia.

Question 9

What are short-term carbon stores and their petagram values?

Answer 9

1. Terrestrial Soil: 1,500 PgC
2. Oceanic Surface: 1,000 PgC
3. Atmospheric: 560 PgC
4. Terrestrial ecosystems: 560 PgC

These stores have cycling times ranging from seconds to decades.

Question 10

What has caused the faster rates of change in the carbon cycle since the 1800s?

Answer 10

Human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels

These activities disrupt the natural balance of the carbon cycle established over billions of years.

Question 11

True or False: The carbon cycle has remained unchanged for the past 3 billion years.

Answer 11

False

Question 12

What was the state of the carbon cycle approximately 290 million years ago?

Answer 12

It was created at the time of the carboniferous tropical rainforests period

This period established a stable carbon cycle that has since been impacted by human activities.

Question 13

What percentage of carbon storage is found in terrestrial/geological stores?

Answer 13

99.95%

Question 14

What are the impacts of human activity on the carbon cycle?

Answer 14

1. Increased carbon emissions
2. Disruption of natural carbon flows
3. Altered storage capacities

These changes can lead to climate change and biodiversity loss.

Question 15

What role does the water cycle play in the carbon cycle?

Answer 15

It acts as a principal driver by moving sediment and soils containing carbon into oceans

Rivers and runoff facilitate the transport of carbon.

Question 16

What is the geological carbon cycle?

Answer 16

A long-term process where organic matter buried deep can take millions of years to turn into fossil fuels

This cycle involves the slow cycling of carbon through geological formations.

Question 17

Suggest ways in which the carbon cycle and the water cycle are interlinked.

Answer 17

1. River runoff transports carbon into oceans
2. Evaporation and precipitation affect carbon movement
3. Soil moisture influences carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems

These interactions highlight the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems.

Question 18

What % of living organisms is made up of carbon?

Answer 18

Approximately 18%

Question 19

How does outgassing impact the amount of carbon in the atmosphere?

Answer 19

Releases CO2 from volcanic activity

Question 20

What are terrestrial stores in the carbon cycle?

Answer 20

Carbon stored in soil and vegetation

Question 21

What are annual fluxes in the carbon cycle measured in?

Answer 21

Pg/Gt (petagrams/gigatonnes)

Question 22

What is the primary source of natural atmospheric CO2?

Answer 22

Geological carbon cycle

Question 23

What is limestone primarily composed of?

Answer 23

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3)

Question 24

How is shale formed?

Answer 24

From sediment grains and organic matter compacting

Question 25

What is oil shale?

Answer 25

A type of shale containing kerogen

Question 26

What are the major geological carbon stores?

Answer 26

Coal, oil, gas, limestone

Question 27

What is the process of diagenesis?

Answer 27

Physical and chemical alteration of deposits into sedimentary rocks

Question 28

How does the carbonic acid form in the weathering cycle?

Answer 28

CO2 combines with rainwater

Question 29

What happens during periods of orogeny?

Answer 29

Weathering uses atmospheric CO2 to erode mountains

Question 30

How long has the geologic carbon cycle been operating?

Answer 30

Over 4.5 billion years

Question 31

What is the significance of the biological pump?

Answer 31

Sequesters CO2 via phytoplankton in oceans

Question 32

What is net primary productivity (NPP)?

Answer 32

NPP = GPP - R (Gross Primary Production - Respiration)

Question 33

What is the role of zooplankton in the carbon cycle?

Answer 33

Respire and consume phytoplankton

Question 34

What is the carbonate pump?

Answer 34

Involves inorganic carbon sedimentation from shells

Question 35

What role does thermohaline circulation play in the carbon cycle?

Answer 35

Circulates and regulates CO2 in ocean layers

Question 36

What are the three pumps in the ocean's carbon cycle?

Answer 36

* Biological pump * Carbonate pump * Physical pump

Question 37

How does energy move through an ecosystem?

Answer 37

Through food chains and webs among producers and consumers

Question 38

What factors determine the capacity of soil to store organic carbon?

Answer 38

* Climate * Soil Type * Management and use

Question 39

What is the chemical formula for Calcium carbonate?

Answer 39

CaCO3

Question 40

What is biomass?

Answer 40

The total mass of living matter in a given area

Question 41

What is the definition of biotic?

Answer 41

Of or related to living things

Question 42

What is orogeny?

Answer 42

The process of mountain building

Question 43

What are detritivores?

Answer 43

Organisms that break down organic matter

Question 44

How do decomposers contribute to the ecosystem?

Answer 44

By recycling nutrients from dead organic matter

Question 45

What is the effect of climate change on peat wetlands?

Answer 45

They are becoming net carbon sources

Question 46

What is the main carbon store in tropical rainforests?

Answer 46

Trees, which dominate carbon storage

Question 47

How does soil formation occur?

Answer 47

Through the breakdown of surface material

Question 48

What is the impact of soil management since 1850?

Answer 48

Estimated loss of 90 billion tonnes of carbon

Question 49

How does the carbon cycle operate to maintain planetary health?

Answer 49

The carbon cycle operates by regulating carbon's movement between the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms, ensuring a balance that supports life and climate stability.

Question 50

Explain how carbon is sequestered into soil.

Answer 50

Carbon is sequestered into soil through processes such as plant photosynthesis, where CO2 is absorbed and converted into organic matter, which then decomposes and enriches the soil.

Question 51

Explain how the amount of vegetation affects the amount of carbon in the soil.

Answer 51

The amount of vegetation affects soil carbon levels by increasing photosynthesis rates, leading to more organic matter being produced and thus more carbon being stored in the soil.

Question 52

What may happen to the carbon cycle if there was an increase in ice cap melt?

Answer 52

An increase in ice cap melt could lead to higher sea levels and altered ocean circulation patterns, potentially releasing stored carbon and disrupting the carbon cycle.

Question 53

How much is 1 petagram of carbon (PgC)?

Answer 53

1 petagram of carbon (PgC) equals 1 billion metric tons.

Question 54

Which processes are the ways an element or compound moves between living and non-living forms on earth?

Answer 54

The processes include photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and sedimentation.

Question 55

What is the technical word for human produced carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Answer 55

Anthropogenic CO2.

Question 56

What is the diagenesis of carbonate shells?

Answer 56

Diagenesis of carbonate shells involves the transformation of shell material into limestone through pressure and chemical processes.

Question 57

How does the North Atlantic drift impact carbon?

Answer 57

The North Atlantic drift impacts carbon by transporting warmer water to Northern Europe, influencing climate and carbon absorption in oceanic systems.

Question 58

Finish the equation; NPP = GPP minus _______.

Answer 58

R (respiration).

Question 59

Which part of the food chain helps dead organic matter to become soil?

Answer 59

Detritus/decomposers.

Question 60

What is the carbon rich top layer of soil called?

Answer 60

Humus layer.

Question 61

What is formed when dead organic matter mixes with clay in sedimentary rock formation?

Answer 61

Shale.

Question 62

Spell the term for the process of carbon capture and storage.

Answer 62

Sequestration.

Question 63

What is the significance of 1 gigatonne in the context of carbon measurement?

Answer 63

1 gigatonne is a unit of measurement equivalent to 1 billion metric tons, often used in carbon accounting.

Question 64

What is the term for the study of biogeochemical cycles?

Answer 64

Biogeochemistry.

Question 65

True or False: The carbon cycle only involves the atmosphere and living organisms.

Answer 65

False.