carbon cycle eq1

Question 1

what are the 3 type of carbon stores?

Answer 1

Inoraganic (rocks)
organic (plant material)
gaseous (CO2, CH4, CO)

Question 2

what is a flux?

Answer 2

rate of movement between stores

Question 3

what is a store?

Answer 3

reservoirs where carbon is held

Question 4

what are processes?

Answer 4

the physical mechanisms that drive the fluxes between stores

Question 5

what is a systems approach?

Answer 5

study of inputs, outputs and flows

Question 6

what is sequestration?

Answer 6

the natural storage of carbon by physical or biological processes eg photosynthesis

Question 7

what is the atmosphere?

Answer 7

the layer of gasses that surrounds the earth

Question 8

what is the hydrosphere?

Answer 8

the combined mass of water on the earth’s surface

Question 9

what is the lithosphere?

Answer 9

the outer part of the earth composed of rock, consisting of the crust and the top layer of the mantle

Question 10

what is the biosphere?

Answer 10

the layer of earth occupied by living organisms

Question 11

what is equilibrium?

Answer 11

a state in which processes are balanced so that no overall change is taking place

Question 12

what is photosynthesis?

Answer 12

where green plants and organisms use sunlight to produce nutrients from carbon dioxide and water

Question 13

what is respiration?

Answer 13

the process in living organisms involving the production of energy, with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide

Question 14

what are the two types of carbon cycle?

Answer 14

geological
bio-geochemical

Question 15

what is the geological carbon cycle?

Answer 15

movement of carbon between land, ocean and atmosphere

Question 16

what is the bio-geochemical carbon cycle?

Answer 16

exchange of carbon between its four main reservoirs = atmosphere, biosphere, oceans and sediments

Question 17

what are the main two components of the bio-geochemical carbon cycle?

Answer 17

geological carbon cycle - the slower cycle, centred on the carbon stores in rocks and sediments
biological - the faster cycle with rapid turnovers between the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere

Question 18

what are the 3 main terrestrial carbon stores?

Answer 18

limestone
shale
fossil fuels

Question 19

what are the three types of weathering?

Answer 19

mechanical (freeze thaw)
chemical (carbonic acid)
biological (plant roots)

Question 20

how can carbon end up in the lower mantle?

Answer 20

subduction of the sea floor , some hidden limestone can be exposed through tectonic uplift such as in the Himalayas.

Question 21

what is volcanic outgassing?

Answer 21

pockets of CO2 in the crust that is disturbed by volcanic activity.

Question 22

what is a major eruption that produced a large quantity of CO2?

Answer 22

Pinatubo 1991

Question 23

how much do volcanoes emit in comparison to humans

Answer 23

volcanoes - 0.15 - 0.26 Giga tonnes
humans - 35 Giga tonnes

Question 24

what type of environment causes dead organic matter to decay more quickly?

Answer 24

rainforest = warm and wet conditions
has potential for high level of carbon in soil which is not stored for long.

Question 25

what factors speed up decomposition and therefore carbon loss from soils?

Answer 25

• climate = decay happens faster at high temperatures and with rain
• soil type = sandy soils lose carbon quicker than clay soils as they are more porous allowing microorganisms to get in
• human activity = intensive farming or ploughing can cause erosion cause loss of carbon

Question 26

what is the process of the greenhouse effect?

Answer 26

• radiation from the sun travels to the earth.
• some solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and earth (by icecaps)
  -radiation absorbed by surface and warms earth
  -infrared radiation emitted by earth

Question 26

what is the process of the greenhouse effect?

Answer 26

• radiation from the sun travels to the earth.
• some solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and earth (by icecaps)
  -radiation absorbed by surface and warms earth
  -infrared radiation emitted by earth, some passes through atmosphere, some get reflected by atmosphere and it reabsorbed by earth.

Question 27

what stable conditions do the carbon cycle and greenhouse gases create?

Answer 27

stable:
- temperature
- precipitation
- atmospheric composition
- soil carbon storage

Question 28

how does the cc and ghg create stable temperature conditions?

Answer 28

solar insolation is more intense at the equator and more dispersed at the poles. Heat is then redistributed by wind.

Question 29

how does the cc and ghg create stable precipitation conditions?

Answer 29

heat effect precipitation as warms air rises and cools, condensing and creating clouds causing precipitation. causes high levels of precipitation around the equator and lower levels of precipitation around lower latitudes where pressure rises.

Question 30

how does the cc and ghg create stable atmospheric composition conditions?

Answer 30

photosynthesis regulates is by sequestering CO2 through phytoplankton and terrestrial photosynthesis

Question 31

how does the cc and ghg create stable soil carbon storage conditions?

Answer 31

carbon is important for soil health. healthy soil is normally carbon rich