Carbon Flashcards
(37 cards)
6.2a - Where is carbon stored in the ocean and for how long?
Floor of the ocean Animals and plants that live there Shells Surface of the ocean layer - 10-100 years Deep ocean
6.2a - How does carbon get into the ocean?
Through
- rivers
- diffusion from the atmosphere
6.2a - What are the three ways in which carbon moves in the ocean? (pumps)
Physical -
Biological - 1,000 years
Carbonate - 1,000-100,000 years
6.2a - How does the biological pump work?
Every year phytoplankton move 2 billion metric tons of carbon
- phytoplankton absorb carbon to photosynthesise - when eaten carbon passed through the food chain
- co2 released when zooplankton/organisms respire
- consume fish - respire and die - decompose
- some organism eg Plankton move co2 truing carbon into their hard outer shells - when they die some of shells dissolve into ocean water
6.2a - How does the carbonate pump work?
the processes which circulates carbon in oceans
- shallow ocean - likely to stay as shell and be crushed to rock
- deep ocean - may dissolve as there is less carbon - may form more CaCO3
- any dead organisms which sink to the seafloor become buried and compressed - eventually forming limestone sediments
- over a long period of time can turn into fossil fuels
6.2a - How does the thermohaline circulation cycle work?
- Ocean currents that produces both vertical and horizonal circulation of cold and warm water around the worlds oceans
- rate of circulation is slow - takes around 100 years for any cubic metre of water to travel around the entire system
- Main current begins in polar oceans where water very cold - sinks due to higher density
- current recharged as passes
- Antarctica by extra cold, salty and dense water
- division of main current, northward into Indian Ocean and Western Pacific
- Two branches warm and rise
Warmed surface waters continue to circulate around globe
6.2a - How does the physical pump work?
Cold water absorbs more CO2 - warmer the water less co2 absorbed
Cold water sinks so moves carbon downwards to the deep ocean
Once there it moves slowly in deep water currents staying there for hundreds of years
The thermohaline circulation moves these deep ocean currents to the surface as the water rises it warms
Warmer water releases more co2
6.3b - What is the formula for photosynthesis?
Plays a key role in keeping atmospheric CO2 levels constant
Carbon dioxide + water = Carbohydrate + Oxygen
Light and Chlorophyll
6.3b - Assess the likely impacts of deforestation on the components of the carbon cycle
Large direct impact on above ground biomass
Large indirect impact on below ground biomass
Little impact on carbon emission into atmosphere but large reduction in absorption means large impact on atmosphere
6.3b - What causes the amount of photosynthesis to vary?
- spatial, particularly with net primary productivity (NPP - amount of organic matter available for humans and other animals to harvest and consumer)
- NPP highest in the warm and wet parts of the world eg tropical rainforests - least in tundra and boreal forests
6.3b - What does soil health depend on?
- Soil health depends on the amount of organic carbon stores in the soil
- storage amount depends on inputs (residues) and outputs (decomposition, erosion)
- carbon main component of soil organic matter and helps give its water retention capacity, structure and fertility
- healthy soil has large surface reservoir of available nutrients
- organic carbon concentrated in surface soil layer
- soil erosion major threat to carbon storage and soil health
6.4a - What are the two ways in which consumption is looked at?
As a total in terms of units per GDP
Or
Per person
6.4a - What is the energy mix?
How a countries energy supply is made up is terms of/refers to the range and proportion of energy produced by methods of production eg
- Domestic and foreign sources
- Primary and secondary energy
- Renewable vs non-renewable vs recyclable
6.4a - How can energy consumption patterns can be looked at in 4 ways?
Total energy used
Types of primary energy sources used
How the energy is used
How efficiently they use the energy
6.4a - How has world energy consumption changed since 1820?
- does not globally increase until 1900s
- initial shift mainly coal - 1860/70s - easier to get it
1950s - increased massively - partly due to increasing pop and richer - 80% of global energy consumption comes from fossil fuels even now
6.4a - What is primary consumption and sources of electricity?
Primary consumption of a fuel is the source that we use for all energy uses
Sources of electricity is the sources that we use to create electricity
Primary energy sources
- coal accounts for 27% of global energy production - usage decreasing
- oil accounts for 32% of global energy production - usage still increasing
- solar energy rapidly increasing year on year as it becomes cheaper
- wind produces most energy of renewable sources - spreading to LICS and offshore is increasing too
6.4b - What factors cause the use of energy in all countries to change over time?
- technological development
- increasing national wealth
- changes in demand/price
- enviro factors/public opinion changes
6.4b - What does access to and consumption of energy resources depend on?
- Physical availability
- Cost and technology
- Public perception
- Level of economic development
- Environmental priorities
6.6a - Is the UK energy secure?
Yes - consumers use less energy - require less energy easier to be secure - household use was 12, industry was 16%
Yes - diversified supply of energy - relying less on specific energy sources - renewable share of electricity generation increased to a record 335 in 2018
No - Importing more - nuclear energy stations shut down therefore have to import more - in 2000, 32% of total gas supply was provided by imported/gas
N0 - greater dependence on imported supplies/unaffordable prices of energy - price of global supplies are soaring - deficit of almost £10bil
6.4a - Examples of recyclable and renewable energy
Recyclable - Nuclear power
Renewable - wind and solar
6.4a - What energy source did each era use and why?
- Preindustrial - low, very few can access electricity - biomass as free
Industrialising - much more richer and need to use for industry - coal cheap + easy to access, oil for transportation
Industrialised - lower more enviro aware + energy efficient, richer so move away from coals to gas and renewables
Post industrial - even lower - renewables
6.4c - How are TNCs key energy players?
Most prominent energy players for a variety of reasons
- some have more economic value than a small country
- enables them to take action and invest in large-scale projects
- can bypass political tensions and access sources otherwise restricted to other countries
- may be inclined to invest in local infrastructure
- may encourage enviro degradation, exploit, unsustainable transport
6.4c - How is OPEC a key energy player?
Cartel in which member countries export oil and petroleum
- control 81% of the worlds discovered oil reserves
- control oil prices and supply
- however have been accused of holding back production in order to increase prices and in turn increase profits
- can be detrimental to developing countries who need vast and cheap amounts of oil and countries who rely on oil for energy
6.4c - How are national governments key energy players?
- try to secure energy supplies for their country
- regulate the role of private companies to make sure they do not exploit consumers and offer a fair price
- Eu gov try to reduce c02 emissions and dependency on fossil fuels
- energy crisis in UK - put cap on energy prices
