EE.22

Question 1

how is carbon recycled back to its inorganic form?

Answer 1

respiration

Question 2

main sources of carbon

Answer 2

burnig fossil fuels
respiration
cutting down forests
decomposition of organic matter

Question 3

carbon sinks

Answer 3

biomass

sediments

Question 4

where is biomass accumulated?

Answer 4

forest growth on abandoned farm land

peat bog formation

Question 5

is biomass a carbon source?

Answer 5

yes, biomass acts as a carbon souce due to slash and burn ecosytems, from ploughiing, habitat loss, decomposition and from farm animals

Question 6

is biomass able to buffer changes in atmosheric CO2?

Answer 6

np

Question 7

what are the 5 main inorganic carbon pools?

Answer 7

rocks
sediments
atmosphere
water
clathrates

Question 8

what is the largest inorganic carbon pool?

Answer 8

largest inorganic carbon pool is the lithosphere

Question 9

which inorganic carbon pools support life?

Answer 9

the hydrosphere and atmosphere

Question 10

how do the amounts of carbon in each sphere differ

Answer 10

roughly my two orders of magnitude, with the atmosphere containig the least carbon and the lithospohere congaing the most carbon

Question 11

what are clathrates?

Answer 11

clathrates are solids which are composed of water molecules forming a rigid lattice of cages, with each cage containg one molecule of methane
they are distributed worldwide both on and offshore
they are a major hazard for global warming

Question 12

what percentage of the worlds fossil fuels do methane hydrates make up?

Answer 12

51.9%

Question 13

what happened to the oceanic clathrates in the lst paleocene thermal maxima, and what did this cause?

Answer 13

the methane from the oceanic clathrates was trasnferred from the oceans to the atmopshere, estimated that 2x10^18g of CH4 was released, this resulted in more than a 4 degree sea temperature rise

Question 14

allochthonous

Answer 14

carbon input, for example into streams

carbon originated at a distance from its present position.

Question 15

autochthonous

Answer 15

carbon fixation, in a stream - formed in its present position.

Question 16

how does human activity cause carbon concentrations to flux?

Answer 16

burning fossil fuels
forest clearance
habitat destruction for construction work
modern high input agriculture 
green house gases and climate change
ozone depleting pollutants such as CFC

Question 17

what factors limit the rate of photosynthetic carbon fixation

Answer 17

photosynthetic fixation is limited by a number of factors including water supply, temperature, nitrogen and phosphorous in soils, [CO2], the green biomass and the species of plant itself

Question 18

what factors limit the rate of carbon flux due to respiratory production of CO2?

Answer 18

temperature
water supply
biomass and population size
homeotherms(warm blooded) release greater amounts of CO2 than poikilotherms

Question 19

whata re the rate limiting factors for decomposers production of CO2?

Answer 19

temperature
water supply
amount of dead organic material
C:N ratio of DOM - litter quality
biomass and population size of decomposer animals and fungi

Question 20

in what ecosytems may the net rate of photosynthesis be limited?

Answer 20

C4

Question 21

how does CO2 fertilization affect plants?

Answer 21

plants are able to be more water efficient as the stomata do not need to stay open for as long
however they reduce in food quality for herbivores due to increased ratio of C:N

Question 22

what are the consequences of increasing CO2 concentrations on plants?

Answer 22

C3 plnts will immediately increase photosynthesis, however this seems to dissapear after long exposure, perhaps due to homeostasis
increase in plant biomass and fruit production
result in 34% water saving for 2 x CO2
increase in the tissue carbon and reduction in minerals
the roots shoots ratio will increase

Question 23

what plants will benefit the most from an increase in CO2 concentrations?

Answer 23

N - fixers

Question 24

how does the ocean affect the change in CO2 concentration?

Answer 24

the ocean acts as a sink and hugely decreases the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere

Question 25

what is the problem between in C sink and the global C NPP?

Answer 25

the sink takes in 2Gt yr^1, however the NPP is 50-60 Gt yr^-1

Question 26

why does the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere not correlate with the rate of increase of carbon concentration?

Answer 26

due to mean residence time, the flux out has not yet caught up with the flux of carbon in, so we are not yet feeling the full effect of the CO2 we are releasing into the atmospere

Question 27

what is the difference in mean residence time for soil and vegetation?

Answer 27

the mean residence time for vegetation is much smaller - 10 years, whereas for soils it is slightly longer - 30 years

Question 28

are forests growing faster?

Answer 28

the increase in global atmospheric carbon appears to be affecting even the most remote regions, biomass has been recorded to have significantly increased over a the last 20th century, so are the forests a carbon sink?

Question 29

other than the tropic, what else may be a carbon sink?

Answer 29

soils and savanna, could both plausibly be carbon sink