3.1.1.3 The Carbon Cycle - factors driving change - Flashcards in A Level and IB Geography

Get Revising

Created by: teese
Created on: 09-04-22 14:32

Explain how photosynthesis and respiration interact with each other within the carbon cycle.

forests absorb CO2 during photosynthesis but release it when vegetation dies (decomposition).

1 of 12

The gas that is released by organisms when they decompose anaerobically.

methane

2 of 12

What is the definition of carbon sequestration?

The storage of carbon over geological timescales.

3 of 12

The process that enables carbon from the atmosphere to dissolve into the ocean

diffusion

4 of 12

Cold water holds more carbon than warm. How can cold water return some of the carbon diffused within it back to the atmosphere?

When cold water from the deep ocean rises to the surface (upwelling) it is warmed and releases some of the carbon back into the atmosphere.

5 of 12

Name three ways in which combustion takes place.

lighting
human agency
volcanic eruptions

6 of 12

Other than the human act of burning of fossil fuels, how else is carbon sequestered in sediment returned to the atmosphere?

volcanic activity. CO2 is released from melted volcanic rocks.

7 of 12

What is the physical pump in oceans?

the physical processes e.g. carbon sinking due to cold water and then compressed. The warmer currents return carbon to the atmosphere.

8 of 12

Which 2 rock types are particularly vulnerable to carbonic acid in rain?

limestone
chalk

9 of 12

How does weathering inland interact with carbon processes in oceans.

streams and rivers transfer component ions made from dissolved rocks like chalk and limestone to the sea. At sea, they become minerals like calcite. This is then used by organisms in the formation of their shells. When they die, they sink, and compress re

10 of 12

Name all 7 factors driving change in the carbon cycle

photosynthesis
respiration
decomposition
combustion
carbon sequestration in oceans
carbon sequestration in sediment
weathering

11 of 12

What is the biological pump in oceans?

the living organisms e.g. phytoplankton that circulate carbon in and out of the ocean.

12 of 12

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The gas that is released by organisms when they decompose anaerobically.

Back

methane

Card 3

Front

What is the definition of carbon sequestration?

Back

Card 4

Front

The process that enables carbon from the atmosphere to dissolve into the ocean

Back

Card 5

Front

Cold water holds more carbon than warm. How can cold water return some of the carbon diffused within it back to the atmosphere?

Back

View more cards

Get Revising

3.1.1.3 The Carbon Cycle - factors driving change