major stores of carbon

Question 1

lithosphere

Answer 1

over 99% of carbon on earth is stored in sedimentary rocks such as limestone
0.004% of carbon on earth is stored in fossil fuels such as coal and oil in lithosphere

Question 2

atmosphere

Answer 2

carbon stored as c02 and in smaller quantities as methane ch4
contains about 0.001% of earth carbon

Question 3

hydrosphere

Answer 3

c02 dissolved in rivers lakes and oceans
oceans second largest store containing 0.4% of earth’s carbon
found deep in ocean as dissolved inorganic carbon
small amount found at ocean surface where exchanged with atmosphere

Question 4

biosphere

Answer 4

stored in tissues of living organisms
transferred to the soil when living organisms die and decay
contains 0.004% earths total carbon

Question 5

cryosphere

Answer 5

contains less than 0.1% of earths carbon

in the soil in areas of permafrost where decomposing plant and animals have frozen into ground

Question 6

organic stores of carbon

Answer 6

living things

Question 7

inorganic stores

Answer 7

rocks gases and fossil fuels

Question 8

what is the carbon cycle?

Answer 8

process by which carbon is stored and transferred

Question 9

is the carbon cycle closed or open?

Answer 9

closed - inputs and outputs of energy but the amount of carbon in the system remains the same
some carbon locked away in long term sores e.g rock and fossil fuels

Question 10

photosynthesis (flow)

Answer 10

atmosphere to biosphere

plants use energy from sun to change carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen enabling plants to grow

Question 11

respiration (flow)

Answer 11

transfers carbon from living organisms to atmosphere

plants and animals break down glucose for energy releasing c02 and ch4

Question 12

combustion

Answer 12

transfers carbon stored in living dead or decomposed biomass to the atmosphere by burning
wildires

Question 13

decomposition

Answer 13

transfers carbon from dead biomass to atmosphere and soil
after death bacteria and fungi break organisms down
c02 an ch4 released
some carbon transferred to soil as humus

Question 14

ocean uptake and loss

Answer 14

c02 directly dissolved from atmosphere into ocean
also transferred to oceans when it is taken up by organisms that live in them (e.g plankton)
carbon transferred from ocean to the atmosphere when carbon rich water from deep in the oceans rises to surface and releases co2

Question 15

weathering

Answer 15

transfers carbon from atmosphere to hydrosphere and biosphere
atmospheric carbon reacts with water vapour to form acid rain
dissolves rocks
washed out to sea
react with co2 dissolved in water to form calcium carbonate which is used to make shells

Question 16

sequestration

Answer 16

carbon from atmosphere can be captured in sedimentary rocks or as fossil fuels
form over million of years when dead animal and plant material in the ocean falls to the floor and is compacted
sequestered until burnt

Question 17

fast carbon flows (minutes hours days)

Answer 17

photosynthesis
respiration
combustion
decomposition

Question 18

slow carbon flow (millions of years)

Answer 18

sequestration

Question 19

plant scale

Answer 19

respiration

photosynthesis

Question 20

ecosystem scale

Answer 20

combustion

decomposition

Question 21

continental scale

Answer 21

all carbon flows including sequestration