carbon cycle

Question 1

how is carbon found in the atmosphere?

Answer 1

in the form of co2 and methane

Question 2

how is carbon found in the biosphere?

Answer 2

found in trees and plants, plants absorb co2 for photosynthesis

Question 3

how is carbon found in the cryosphere?

Answer 3

rapped in snow and ice, methane hydrates are trapped in permafrost, as it melts carbon is released

Question 4

how is carbon put into the hydrosphere?

Answer 4

oceans absorb co2, used for shell growth, animals and plants die, decay relase it, sinks, layer of carbon sediments, creates rocks, tectonic uplift

Question 5

what is carbon?

Answer 5

one of the most chemically versatile elements (forms most compounds such as diamonds and coal)

Question 6

what percent of carbon released through anthropogenic fossil fuel burning?

Answer 6

90%

Question 7

what percentage of anthropogenic carbon released is absorbed by the sea?

Answer 7

24%

Question 8

what is a carbon sink?

Answer 8

more carbon enters than leaves

Question 9

what is a carbon store?

Answer 9

more carbon leaves than enters

Question 10

what is the process why which carbon moves known as?

Answer 10

transfer or fluxes

Question 11

what is a store?

Answer 11

total amount of a material held within a part of a system

Question 12

what is a flux?

Answer 12

measurements of the rate of flow of material between stores

Question 13

what are major carbon stores? (6)

Answer 13

ocean 
ocean sediment
soils
atmosphere
bedrock 
vegetation

Question 14

why is atmospheric carbon a major global issue?

Answer 14

due to carbon dioxide adding to the greenhouse gases

Question 15

how do green plants absorb carbon?

Answer 15

through chlorophyll in leaves

Question 16

what does respiration do?

Answer 16

return carbon to the air

Question 17

how does decomposition produce carbon?

Answer 17

decomposers such as fungi respirate and release c02

Question 18

why is an increase of co2 an example of a positive feedback loop?

Answer 18

starts to melt the ice, cause wildfires, more carbon is released raising temperature more

Question 19

what marine organisms can help with global cooling?

Answer 19

phytoplankton

Question 20

what do phytoplankton do?

Answer 20

use angry from the sun to photosynthesis to live and grow, release chemical substance known as DMS, this evaporates and produces clouds, causing sun to cover and cooling less melting of ice etc

Question 21

why is it bad if the oceans warm up?

Answer 21

less carbon is absorbed meaning it stays in the atmosphere

Question 22

what are some human changes to the carbon cycle? (4)

Answer 22

• sequestrian
• farming practises
• urbanisation
• deforestation

Question 23

how does sequestration cause changes in the carbon cycle?

Answer 23

we capture co2 and put it in long term stores
can inject it into deleted oil reservoirs and dissolve into deep underground in oceans
plants trees

Question 24

who does farming change carbon cycle?

Answer 24

using machinery burning on fossil fuels
ploughing soil exposes organic material which is then decomposed
farm animals release large amounts of methane

Question 25

how much methane do US cattle release a year?

Answer 25

5.5 million tonnes