The Major Stores of Carbon, in depth

Question 1

Where is carbon in the lithosphere distributed?

Answer 1

Marine sediments and sedimentary rocks, soil organic matter, fossil fuel deposits and peat

Question 2

How much carbon do marine sediments and sedimentary rocks contain?

Answer 2

100 million GtC

Question 3

How much carbon does organic matter contain?

Answer 3

Between 1,500 and 1,600 GtC

Question 4

How much carbon do fossil fuel deposits of coal, oil and gas contain?

Answer 4

4,100 GtC

Question 5

How much carbon does peat (undecayed organic matter) contain?

Answer 5

250 GtC

Question 6

Where is carbon in the hydrosphere distributed?

Answer 6

The surface layer, the intermediate layer and living organic matter

Question 7

What is the surface layer in relation to the Hydrosphere?

Answer 7

Where sunlight penetrates so that photosynthesis can take place.
Contains roughly 900 GtC

Question 8

What is the intermediate zone in relation to the Hydrosphere?

Answer 8

The twilight zone and deep layer of water contain roughly 37,000 GtC

Question 9

How much carbon does living organic matter contain?

Answer 9

30 GtC and dissolved matter, 700 GtC

Question 10

What is the total of oceanic carbon?

Answer 10

37,000 - 40,000

Question 11

What happens when organisms die?

Answer 11

Their dead cells, shells and other parts sink into deep water.
Decay releases carbon dioxide into this deep water and some material sinks right to the bottom, where it forms layers of carbon-rich sediments.

Question 12

How much carbon is estimated to be locked up in the sedimentary layer?

Answer 12

Throughout millions of year, up to 100 million GtC

Question 13

What is the biosphere and the total amount of carbon stored in it?

Answer 13

The biosphere is the total sum of all living matter. The total amount of carbon stored is estimated to be 3,170 GtC

Question 14

What are the main stores in the Biosphere?

Answer 14

Living vegetation, Plant litter, Soil humus, Peat, Animals

Question 15

Talk about living vegetation in context of the biosphere

Answer 15

19% of carbon in biosphere is stored in living vegetation. Most of this carbon is stored directly in the tissues of the plants.
The amount of carbon in the biomass varies from 35 to 65%.
Estimated that half the carbon in forest occurs in high latitude forests.

Question 16

What is plant litter?

Answer 16

Fresh, undecomposed, easily recognisable plant debris. Anything from needles, twigs, bark, seeds/nuts

Question 17

What percentage does leaf litter account for litter in forests,

Answer 17

70%, but litter tends to increase with age.

Question 18

What is soil humus?

Answer 18

Originates from litter decomposition. humus is a thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed.

Question 19

How much carbon is stored in soil humus?

Answer 19

In all forests, roughly 31% of carbon is stored in biomass and 69% in the soil.
In tropical forest, roughly 50% is stored in biomass and 50% in the soil.
In total, worlds soils hold 2,500 GtC.
1,550 GtC inorganic or 950 organic.

Question 20

What is peat?

Answer 20

An accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that is unique to natural areas.

Question 21

Explain the formation of peat.

Answer 21

Peat forms in wetlands or mires, where permanent water saturation obstructs flows of oxygen from the atmosphere into the ground.
This creates low oxygen anaerobic conditions that slow down rates of plant litter decomposition.

Stores more than 250 GtC worldwide.