Flashcards in EQ1; Maintenance of planetary health Deck (14)
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1
Define the geological carbon cycle
Natural cycle that moves carbon between land, oceans and atmosphere, here there tends to be a natural balance between carbon production and absorption within the cycle.
2
What are the 6 important natural stores and fluxes of the natural carbon cycle ?
- terrestrial carbon held within the mantle - released until the atmosphere as CO2 when volcanoes erupt ‘outgassing’
- CO2 within the atmosphere combines with rainfall to produce weak carbon acid (acid rain) dissolves carbon rich rocks , releasing bicarbonates (chemical weathering)
- rivers transport weathered carbon and calcium sediments to the oceans, where they are deposited
- carbon in organic matter from plants and from animal shells and skeletons sinks to the ocean bed when they die (build up strata of coal, chalk and limestone)
- carbon-rich rocks are subducted along plate boundaries
- presence of intense heating along subduction plate boundaries metamorphoses sedimentary rocks by baking ( creating metamorphic rocks) - CO2 is released by metamorphism of rocks rich in carbonates during this process
3
Where is geological carbon from ?
Formation of sedimentary carbonate rocks like limestone and chalk
4
Where is biologically derived carbon ?
Stored in shale , coal and other sedimentary rocks
5
What is the bio-geochemical cycle ?
The carbon cycle where biological and chemical processes determine just how much of the carbon available on the earth’s surface is stored or released at any time
6
where is most carbon stored in the geological C cycle?
most carbon is locked in the terrestrial stores of the long term geological cycle
7
what are 4 spheres of earth involved in the Carbon cycle?
- atmosphere
- biosphere
- lithosphere
- hydrosphere/ oceanosphere
8
give one example of flux of carbon occurring?
2010 eyjafjallajokull volcano in iceland erupted - emmitting between 150,000 to 300,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmos.
9
what is the difference between the slow and fast carbon cycle ?
slow - takes millions of years ad involves the lithosphere store and the flow into the atmosphere store
- built up C - laying down of sedimentary rocks and ocean sediments
- mostly released by volcanic activity, weathering of sed. rocks and transportation by rivers
Fast carbon cycle - the movement of carbon through food chains and takes place within a lifetime
10
Gt of C in the lithosphere or geosphere ?
- estimated 99.9% of C stored- 60- 100 Man Gt
11
Gt of C in hydrosphere/oceanosphere ?
40,000 Gt
12
Gt of C in soil ?
up to 2,000 Gt
13
Gt of C in Biosphere ?
up to 700 Gt
14
