The complex processes carbon undergoes as it is transferred from organic carbon (the form found in living organisms such as plants and trees) to inorganic carbon and back again
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Net carbon sink
When more carbon enters a store than leaves it
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Net carbon source
When more carbon leaves a store than enters it
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Biological pump
living things in the ocean moving carbon from the atmosphere into surface waters then down deeper into the ocean
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Combustion
when any organic matter is reacted (burned) in the presence of oxygen to give off carbon dioxide, water and energy
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Biomass combustion
this is the burning of living and dead vegetation. It includes human-induced burning as well as naturally occurring fires.
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Greenhouse gas
any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere.
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Lithosphere
the crust and the uppermost mantle; this constitutes the hard and rigid layer of the Earth. It is the layer which is split into a number of tectonic plates.
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Anthropogenic CO2
Carbon dioxide generated by human activity
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Carbon sequestration
the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere or capturing anthropogenic (human) CO2 from large - scale stationary sources like power plants before it is released into the atmosphere. Once captured, the CO2 gas is put into long term storage
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Carbon sink
a store of carbon that absorbs more carbon than it releases
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Geologic sequestration
CO2 is captured at its source (for example, power plants or industrial processes) and then injected in liquid from stores underground. This is still at the experimental stage
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Transpiration
in all terrestrial plants, water is transported from the roots of a plant to its leaves and then lost through pores on the leaf surface
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Condensation
occurs when the air cools to a temperature at which it becomes saturated, known as the dew point temperature
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Cloud
a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere
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Ocean Water
the water contained in the Earth's oceans and seas but not including inland seas such as the Caspian Sea
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The cryosphere
portions of the Earth's surface where water is in solid form
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Sea ice
forms when water in the oceans is cooled to temperatures below freezing. Sea ice does not raise sea level when it melts, because it forms from ocean water
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Ice shelves
platforms of ice that form where ice sheets and glaciers move out into the oceans
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Ice sheets
a mass of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000 km2, which covers most of Greenland and Antarctica
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Ice caps
thicks layers of ice on land that are smaller than 50,000 km2
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Alpine glaciers
thick masses of ice found in deep valleys or in upland hollows
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Permafrost
ground that remains at or below 0 degrees celsius for at least two consecutive years
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Surface water
the free-flowing of water of rivers as well as the water of ponds and lakes
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Rivers
streams of water within a defined channel
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Lakes
collections of fresh water found in hollows on the land surface
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Wetlands
areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing where there is a dominance of vegetation
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Groundwater
water that collects underground in the pore spaces of rocks
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Soil water
water held together with air in unsaturated upper weathered layers of the Earth
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Biological water
water stored in all the biomass
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
When more carbon enters a store than leaves it
Back
Net carbon sink
Card 3
Front
When more carbon leaves a store than enters it
Back
Card 4
Front
living things in the ocean moving carbon from the atmosphere into surface waters then down deeper into the ocean
Back
Card 5
Front
when any organic matter is reacted (burned) in the presence of oxygen to give off carbon dioxide, water and energy
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