Changes in major stores of Carbon AQA A-level Geography
Carbon Cycle. - Ans>>The movement of carbon in its various forms between the different spheres - between the
Cryosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere and lithosphere.
How long does it take for carbon to move between rocks, soil, ocean, and atmosphere? - Ans>>100-200 million
years.
How much carbon moves through the cycle each year? - Ans>>10-100 million metric tons of carbon
What is weathering? - Ans>>The movement of carbon from the atmosphere to the lithosphere.
Process of weathering. - Ans>>Carbon combines with water forming carbonic acid that falls to the surface in rain.
Dissolving rocks, coming into contact with limestone reacting with the rock to form calcium bicarbonate. which is
soluble, carried away weathering the limestone. Rivers carry the ions to the ocean.
What is Carbon sequestration? - Ans>>The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Pt.1 Process of Carbon sequestration. - Ans>>Organisms die and sink to the seafloor. Layers of shells and sediment
cement together turning into rock, storing the carbon in limestone.
Pt.2 Process of Carbon sequestration. - Ans>>This can be uplifted by tectonics where it will be attacked by
weathering starting the cycle again. Or returning carbon to the atmosphere through volcanoes.
What is Ocean carbon pumps? - Ans>>The ocean's biologically driven sequestration of carbon from the
atmosphere and land runoff to the ocean interior and seafloor sediments.
1. How the physical carbon pump works. - Ans>>Cold Polar ocean dissolves more than twice as much CO2 than in
the warm equatorial waters. As major ocean currents move waters from the tropics to poles, cooling and can
taking up more CO2 from the atmosphere.
2. How the physical carbon pump works. - Ans>>Cool waters head to the high latitudes becoming denser and sink
taking the CO2 at the surface. The water returns to the tropics and releases CO2 to the atmosphere.5. The cycle
then repeats.
Pt.1 How the Biological Carbon Pump works. - Ans>>CO2 moves away from the surface ocean. Marine plants such
as phytoplankton takes CO2 and chemicals from sea to make plant tissue.
Pt.2 How the Biological Carbon Pump works. - Ans>>CO2 in phytoplankton is recycled, 30 percent, sinks into the
deeper waters converting back into CO2 by marine bacteria. 0.1 percent reaches the seafloor buried into the
sediments.
What is Photosynthesis? - Ans>>process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert
water and CARBON DIOXIDE into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches.
What is decomposition? - Ans>>the process by which chemicals and CARBON DIOXIDE are returned to the
ecosystem from dead biotic matter.
What is Respiration? - Ans>>Oxygen from the atmosphere is used alongside carbohydrates and this frees up the
stored energy. The biproducts are water and CARBON DIOXIDE. Plant cells respire, just as animal cells do.
What is combustion? - Ans>>Burning of material. It occurs when any organic material is reacted (burned) in the
presence of oxygen to give off the products of CARBON DIOXIDE, water and energy.
Carbon Cycle. - Ans>>The movement of carbon in its various forms between the different spheres - between the
Cryosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere and lithosphere.
How long does it take for carbon to move between rocks, soil, ocean, and atmosphere? - Ans>>100-200 million
years.
How much carbon moves through the cycle each year? - Ans>>10-100 million metric tons of carbon
What is weathering? - Ans>>The movement of carbon from the atmosphere to the lithosphere.
Process of weathering. - Ans>>Carbon combines with water forming carbonic acid that falls to the surface in rain.
Dissolving rocks, coming into contact with limestone reacting with the rock to form calcium bicarbonate. which is
soluble, carried away weathering the limestone. Rivers carry the ions to the ocean.
What is Carbon sequestration? - Ans>>The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Pt.1 Process of Carbon sequestration. - Ans>>Organisms die and sink to the seafloor. Layers of shells and sediment
cement together turning into rock, storing the carbon in limestone.
Pt.2 Process of Carbon sequestration. - Ans>>This can be uplifted by tectonics where it will be attacked by
weathering starting the cycle again. Or returning carbon to the atmosphere through volcanoes.
What is Ocean carbon pumps? - Ans>>The ocean's biologically driven sequestration of carbon from the
atmosphere and land runoff to the ocean interior and seafloor sediments.
1. How the physical carbon pump works. - Ans>>Cold Polar ocean dissolves more than twice as much CO2 than in
the warm equatorial waters. As major ocean currents move waters from the tropics to poles, cooling and can
taking up more CO2 from the atmosphere.
2. How the physical carbon pump works. - Ans>>Cool waters head to the high latitudes becoming denser and sink
taking the CO2 at the surface. The water returns to the tropics and releases CO2 to the atmosphere.5. The cycle
then repeats.
Pt.1 How the Biological Carbon Pump works. - Ans>>CO2 moves away from the surface ocean. Marine plants such
as phytoplankton takes CO2 and chemicals from sea to make plant tissue.
Pt.2 How the Biological Carbon Pump works. - Ans>>CO2 in phytoplankton is recycled, 30 percent, sinks into the
deeper waters converting back into CO2 by marine bacteria. 0.1 percent reaches the seafloor buried into the
sediments.
What is Photosynthesis? - Ans>>process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert
water and CARBON DIOXIDE into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches.
What is decomposition? - Ans>>the process by which chemicals and CARBON DIOXIDE are returned to the
ecosystem from dead biotic matter.
What is Respiration? - Ans>>Oxygen from the atmosphere is used alongside carbohydrates and this frees up the
stored energy. The biproducts are water and CARBON DIOXIDE. Plant cells respire, just as animal cells do.
What is combustion? - Ans>>Burning of material. It occurs when any organic material is reacted (burned) in the
presence of oxygen to give off the products of CARBON DIOXIDE, water and energy.
