Carbon Cycle

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from pages 28-34 about the carbon cycle, reservoirs, sinks/sources, and processes like photosynthesis, respiration, burial, and fossil fuels.

Carbon cycle

The movement of atoms and molecules containing the element carbon between sources and sinks.

Long-residence-time reservoirs

Reservoirs that hold carbon for long periods (millions of years), such as sedimentary rocks, fossil fuels, and deep ocean sediments.

Short-residence-time reservoirs

Reservoirs that hold carbon for relatively short periods before releasing or exchanging it again.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants, algae, and phytoplankton convert CO2 and water into glucose, releasing oxygen.

Cellular respiration

Process by which cells break down glucose with O2 to release energy and CO2.

Decomposition

Decay of plant and animal material that, over long times, leads to carbon storage in soils, sediments, or fossilized forms.

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, and natural gas formed from ancient organic matter; burning them releases CO2 into the atmosphere.

Direct exchange

CO2 moves directly between the atmosphere and the ocean by dissolving into or out of surface water, balancing levels quickly.

Ocean acidification

Increase in ocean CO2 due to higher atmospheric CO2, lowering seawater pH.

Carbon sink

A reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases.

Carbon source

A reservoir that releases more carbon than it absorbs.

Sedimentation

Calcium carbonate and other carbonates precipitate and settle to the ocean floor as sediment.

Burial

Long-term storage of carbon when sediments or fossil fuels are buried and compressed into sedimentary rocks.

Extraction

Process of mining or removing fossil fuels from underground reservoirs.

Combustion

Burning fossil fuels that releases CO2 into the atmosphere.

Methane (CH4) from ruminants

Methane produced by enteric fermentation in cattle (cow burps and farts), a potent greenhouse gas.

Calcium carbonate shells

Marine organisms use dissolved CO2 to form calcium carbonate shells or exoskeletons.

Glucose (biological form of carbon)

A stored energy form in living organisms; glucose contains carbon and is produced in photosynthesis.

Atmosphere as a key carbon reservoir

The atmosphere is a major carbon reservoir; rising CO2 increases global warming.