carbon

Question 1

Why is carbon important?

Answer 1

Carbon exists in all living things and is useful in joining elements to form the compounds of life.

Question 2

How is carbon incorporated into global systems?

Answer 2

Atmosphere - carbon dioxide and methane
Hydrosphere - dissolved carbon
Lithosphere - limestone and fossil fuels e.g. coal, gas, coal
Biosphere - living and dead organisms

Question 3

How is geological carbon formed?

Answer 3

Formed when sedimentary rock is created by pressure added to sediment on the ocean floor.

Question 4

How is biological carbon formed?

Answer 4

When dead organisms are pushed under the ground by decomposition to form fossil fuels where the carbon is stored.

Question 5

What is a carbon store?

Answer 5

Where carbon is held

Question 6

What is a carbon flux?

Answer 6

Flows of movement between stored.

Question 7

How is carbon measure?

Answer 7

In Petegrams/Gigatonnes (1 petegram/gigatonne = 1 trillion kg/1 billion tonnes.

Question 8

What is a carbon source?

Answer 8

Adds carbon to fluxes by shrinking in size and releasing carbon.

Question 9

What is a carbon sink?

Answer 9

Removes carbon by storing it and growing in size.

Question 10

What is equilibrium in the carbon cycle?

Answer 10

Sources=sinks

Question 11

What is positive feedback?

Answer 11

Sources>sinks

Question 12

What is negative feedback?

Answer 12

Sources

Question 13

What are the stores in the carbon cycle?

Answer 13

Terrestrial soil, terrestrial ecosystems, atmosphere, crust, deep ocean, surface ocean.

Question 14

How much carbon is stored in terrestrial soil and how long for?

Answer 14

560pgC for days in heat or decades in cold.

Question 15

How much carbon is stored in terrestrial ecosystems and how long for?

Answer 15

100,000,000pgC and extra 4000pgC in fossil fuels for seconds/minutes.

Question 16

How much carbon is stored in the atmosphere and how long for?

Answer 16

560pgC for up to a 100 years.

Question 17

How much carbon is stored in the Earths crust and how long for?

Answer 17

1500pgC for a millennia.

Question 18

How much carbon is stored in the deep ocean and how long for?

Answer 18

38000pgC for long time.

Question 19

How much carbon is stored in the surface ocean and how long for?

Answer 19

1000pgC for short time.

Question 20

What are the processes in the carbon cycle?

Answer 20

Photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration, combustion

Question 21

How does photosynthesis work?

Answer 21

Light energy converts CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen in the plants chlorophyll. The glucose is respired or stored as starch.

Question 22

How does decomposition work?

Answer 22

Decomposers eg bacteria consume dead organisms, the process releases CO2 or carbon passes into the soil.

Question 23

How does respiration work?

Answer 23

CO2 is returned to the atmosphere by organisms exhaling it.

Question 24

How does combustion work?

Answer 24

Organic material that contains carbon is burned in the presence of oxygen it turns to energy, CO2 and water.

Question 25

What are the processes in the geological carbon cycle?

Answer 25

Chemical weathering + mechanical weathering, transportation, decomposition, sedimentation, metamorphosis.

Question 26

How is carbon released geologically?

Answer 26

Metamorphic rock melts in magma chamber of volcano which rises and eruptions from the volcano in the ash cloud as CO2.

Question 27

What are the biological processes sequestering carbon?

Answer 27

Carbonate pump, biological pump, physical pump.

Question 28

What is the carbonate pump?

Answer 28

Marine organisms use calcium ions to form shells/skeletons. These die and the carbon dissolves or sinks to ocean floor.

Question 29

What is the biological pump?

Answer 29

Phytoplankton use light, water and CO2 to make food(autotroph), they are then transferred through the food chain via consumers who die and sink to ocean floor.

Question 30

What is the physical pump?

Answer 30

The circulation of water including the thermocline current - cold water absorbs carbon, warm water releases. Deep ocean 10% more concentration, polar for concentrated than tropics.

Question 31

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 31

CO2+water= acid rain which predicates and reacts with surface minerals to make calcium ions.

Question 32

What is mechanical weathering?

Answer 32

The break up of rocks by the shattering and exfoliation of frost.

Question 33

What is the thermocline current?

Answer 33

Global movement of water through oceans.

Question 34

What is the path of the thermocline current?

Answer 34

1. Northern polar region 2. Recharged at Antartica 3. Divides into Indian Ocean and Western Pacific 4. 2 branches travel North and loop back South and West 5. Returns back to North.

Question 35

Why does phytoplankton vary?

Answer 35

Base on coastlines and continental shelves, like rich nutrient oceans, increase at high latitudes during summer and spring. Subtropical oceans decrease due to warm surface waters.

Question 36

What is the process of terrestrial sequestration?

Answer 36

CO2 enters plant by photosynthesis. Some exits at respiration, some travels through plant to roots which respire or die. Rest is released by leaf litter respiring from decomposition or is stored beneath the soil.

Question 37

What is peat?

Answer 37

Dead matter that can't decompose due to wet or incorrect acidic conditions.

Question 38

What factors effect terrestrial sequestration?

Answer 38

Climate, soil type, management and use of soil

Question 39

What is the greenhouse gas effect?

Answer 39

CO2 in the atmosphere from carbon emissions allows short wave radiation to pass through but not long wave radiation reflected off the Earth so the climate increases.

Question 40

What is the milankovic cycle?

Answer 40

Changes in the orbital cycle, axial tilt and precession (wobble) of the Earth.

Question 41

What is the sunspot theory?

Answer 41

Sun spots appear of the sun that emit more heat radiation

Question 42

What is the eruption theory?

Answer 42

When a volcano erupts the ash cloud goes into the atmosphere and blocks out the sun.

Question 43

How do humans interfere in the carbo cycle?

Answer 43

Combustion of fossil fuels, livestock release methane, deforestation, loss of soil carbon from ploughing, transport, electricity, cement production.

Question 44

What are the natural interferences of the carbon cycle?

Answer 44

Temperature, precipitation.