1.4 The Carbon Cycle

What is the carbon cycle?

The movement of molecules with Carbon between sources and sinks

Describe the speed of the movement in the carbon cycle and examples of each movement.

• fast movement = fossil fuel combustion (lots of carbon emissions at one time)

• slow movement = sedimentation/burial (takes a lot of time to put carbon back into the ground)

What are problems with the speed of the carbon cycle?

The carbon cycle can be imbalanced because more carbon is being released than what is being absorbed back into the ground, causing global warming

Carbon sink

carbon reservoir that stores more carbon than it releases

• Ex. the ocean (algae/sediments), plants, soil

Carbon source

processes that add carbon back into the atmosphere

• Ex. fossil fuel combustion, animal burps and farts, deforestation

What is photosynthesis used by?

Plants, algae, phytoplankton

What does photosynthesis do to carbon in the atmosphere?

Removes carbon from the atmosphere and turns it into glucose, stored in the form of sugars

Is photosynthesis a carbon source or sink?

Carbon sink

What organisms use cellular respiration?

all of them!

What does cellular respiration do?

oxygen is used to break down glucose and release the energy. CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere (like when you exhale)

Is cellular respiration a carbon source or sink?

Carbon source

How do photosynthesis and respiration work together?

Photosynthesis produces oxygen and takes CO₂ out of the atmosphere while cellular respiration uses oxygen and releases CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Direct exchange

when CO₂ moves directly between the atmosphere and the ocean by dissolving into and out of the ocean water at the surface

• happens quickly, like the exchange between photosynthesis and respiration

How does direct exchange causes ocean acidification?

The more CO₂ in the atmosphere, the more CO₂ gets absorbed into the ocean

How do algae and phytoplankton work in the carbon cycle?

they take out CO₂ from the oceans and atmos thru photosynthesis

• include coral reefs and marine organisms with shells

  • carbon sink!

What is sedimentation

when marine organisms die and ocean pressure breaks them down into sediments with Carbon

Burial

Water pressure compresses sediments into sedimentary stone which are long-term Carbon reservoirs

Fossil fuels

coal, oil, and natural gas create from fossilized remains of organisms by rock and water pressure

What is combustion/extraction?

The diffing up/mining of FFs and the burning of that energy, releasing mass amts of CO₂ back into the atmosphere