biogeochemical cycles - carbon cycle
- Created by: student111319
- Created on: 04-04-23 18:32
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carbon cycle
- carbon is fundamental building block of life
- carbon in the atmosphere: is in the form co2, arrived naturlly on earth from volcanoes, is fourth most abundant gas,
where is carbon found?
- organic sotres = living things
- inorganic stores = lithopshere, atmosphere
- frozen stores/sinks = cryosphere
- water stores/sinks = hydrosphere
carbon behaviour:
- fast carbon - transferes quickly between sources e.g. respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition, combustion
- slow carbon - sequestration - takes millions of years for carbon to be sequestered in sedimentary rocks
carbon cycle is a closed system:
- are inputs + outputs of energy but the amount of carbon in the system remains the same
- some carbon is locked away - sequstered in long term stores e.g. fossil fuels + rocks
- if released e.g. through burning fossil fuels they are input back into the cycle
3 main processes in the carbon cycle;
- carbon in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide from repsiration + combustion
- carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make glucose in photosynthesis
- animals feed on plants passing carbon compounds along the food chain, most carbon consumed is exhaled as co2 that was formed during aerobic respiration, plants + animals die
- decomposers break down the dead organic matter + return the carbon in thier bodies to the amtosphere as co2 by respiration, when decomposition is blocked may form fossil fuels that later extracted for combustion/energy
carbon cycle is process by which carbon is stored + transfered
carbon stores change in size overtime as of carbon flows between stores: photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion, ocean uptake + loss, weathering, sequestration
are natural processes at play altering the magnitude of carbon stores - natural events e.g. wildfires have impact
wildfires:
- large quantities of carbon are transfered from biomass/soil to the atmosphere
- loss of vegetation decreased photosynthesis = less carbon uptake
- fires can encorage growth of new plants
- fires can have neutral effect on atmospheric carbon
volcanoes:
- carbon is stored within the earth magma is released during volcanic eruptions - released as co2
- huge + long term eruptions can have effect on concentrations as are transboundry
how do humans imapct the carbon cycle?
fossil fuel extraction + use
deforestation
farming practices
land use…
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