Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

Flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from lecture notes about the carbon cycle and climate change.

Carbon Reservoir

A pool of material at a particular time, expressed in terms of mass; also known as a sink.

Residence Time

Average time a substance stays in a reservoir.

Ocean Acidification

The process whereby the ocean becomes more acidic due to absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of CO2, and remove it from the atmosphere.

Biological Carbon Pump

A process involving biological activity in the ocean that transfers carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Physical Carbon Pump

The mechanism that transports CO2 across the ocean through processes like downwelling and upwelling.

Downwelling

The process in which cold, salty waters sink in polar regions, carrying dissolved CO2 into the deep ocean.

Upwelling

The process of bringing deep, cold ocean water to the surface, where it can release CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Organic Carbon

Carbon compounds that contain C-C or C-H bonds, such as those found in coal or glucose.

Inorganic Carbon

Carbon compounds that do not contain C-C or C-H bonds, such as CO2 and calcium carbonate.

Tipping Point

Predicted points at which different parts of Earth’s system undergo irreversible changes.

IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which creates assessments on climate change based on existing knowledge and recommends actions for policymakers.

Mitigation

Addressing the root cause of climate change, specifically reducing CO2 emissions.

Adaptation

Addressing the effects of climate change without tackling the underlying cause.

Carbonate Weathering

The breakdown of limestone due to carbonic acid in rain, which can dissolve minerals in the ocean.

Carbonate Precipitation

The process where products of carbonate weathering and water form calcium carbonate, used by marine animals for shells.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Carbon Cycle

The biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth.

Anthropogenic Emissions

Emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols resulting from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels or deforestation.

Carbon Sequestration

The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, typically referring to long-term storage in geological formations, oceans, or terrestrial sinks.