Enquiry question 1: How does the carbon cycle operate to maintain planetary health?

what is carbon

a chemical element which acts as the building block of life.

what type of cycle is carbon part of

a biochemical cycle

how are flows measured

pentagrams

what is a pentagram

1 trillion kilograms

is the carbon cycle open or closed

closed

what are carbon stores

 referred to as :pools, stocks, reservoirs. These can be terrestrial, oceanic or atmospheric.

what are fluxes

 movement and transfer of carbon between stores, which in turn creates cycles and feedback.

what are the shortest carbon fluxes

• plants take carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and release it back into the atmosphere via respiration

what is a long carbon flux

•  dead plant material can be incorporated into soils, these soils can be broken down by soil microbes (decomposition) and are released back into the atmosphere.

what is the longest carbon flux

• organic matter buried in deep sediment (protected from decay) was slowly transformed into deposits of coal.

• When we burn this coal carbon which is stored for millions of years is released back into the atmosphere.

what are the 2 types of carbon cycle

short and fast

what is the specific name for the fast carbon cycle

the biogeochemical cycle

4 stages in the fast carbon cycle

photosynthesis

respiration

decomposition

combustion

three types of carbon

organic, inorganic, gaseous

what is organic carbon

found in plant material

what is inorganic carbon

found in rocks as bicarbonate

how do forests act as sinks

• Forests are where plants take in CO2 as a raw material for photosynthesis and also where plants stores carbon in their: roots, leaves and wood

which forests are best as sinks

• tropical rainforest and boreal forests are the best for carbon storage 

what is a sink

• absorbs more carbon than it releases

how do forests act as sources

• Forests also release carbon dioxide back through: respiration and decomposition (after the tree has died)

• When trees are deforested they release carbon 

what is the human impact on forests as stores

• deforestation

• climate change

what is the impact of deforestation on the forests ability to act as a sink

• removes the trees that absorb carbon dioxide

• reduces the capacity or long term carbon storage 

what is the impact of climate change on the forests ability to act as a sink

• rising co2 can increase photosynthesis (carbon fertilisation effect)

• however benefits are limited by the water stress and increased pests that also come with climate change 

how can the forest be managed

1. afforestation

2. reforestation

3. agroforestry

what is afforestation

planting new forests

what is reforestation

replanting cleared areas

what is agroforestry

combining trees with farming

what was The Paris Agreement

• an international agreement to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees above pre-industrial level.

what was the outcome from COP 28

• 2023

• the decision to start moving away from fossil fuels in energy systems 

What is geological carbon

Carbon stored due to the formation of sedimentary carbonate rocks

What are the 4 main stores of carbon

• shellfish

• Deep ocean sediments

• Sedimentary rocks

• Oil and gas

How do shellfish act as a cabron store

• they absorb calcium ions and carbonate ions from sea water in order to make their shells

How do deep ocean sediments act as a carbon

The deposition of shells and waste from sea creatures accumulates in layers

How does sedimentary rock act as a carbons store

Sedimentary rock is made from the shells of organisms such as phytoplankton

How do oil and gas act as a carbon store

Carbon from dead plants is held in coal

Carbon in oil and gas came from dead plankton

What are the 5 main carbon processes

• sinking

• Ocean currents

• Rock cycle

• Burning fossil fuels

• Weathering

How does sinking act as a process of moving carbon in fluxes

The sinking of dead matter and faeces accumulates one the sea bed or is consumed by microbes

How do ocean currents act as a process of moving carbon in fluxes

The sinking and rising of water transport carbon between stores

How does the rock cycle act as a process of moving carbon in fluxes

• ocean sedimentary rocks are subducted into the mantle

• They rise and come back out as carbon forms during volcanic eruptions within the lava

How does burning fossil fuels act as a process of moving carbon in fluxes

The combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon compounds into the atmosphere

How does weathering process carbon from store to store

Releases carbon that is dissolved in rocks, transports carbon from rocks into lakes

What 2 ways is geological carbon moved into the astomphere

1. Volcanic outgassing at ocean ridges and subduction  zones

2. Weathering of rocks 

What are the two processes with volcanic outgassing

• metamorphism

• Subduction

How does subduction move geological carbon into the atmosphere

when rocks are enforced down into the mantle, usually at a destructive plate boundary. The oceanic crust is forced to melt, resulting in CO2 in magma making its way to the surface and being outgassed during a volcanic eruption.

What are two types of chemical weathering which release carbon

• acid rain

• Carbonation

How does acid rain release geological carbon

Acid rain speeds up teh chemical weathering ;process as the acid reacts with carbonate compounds to form co2 gas

What is biological carbon sequestration

1. Marine plants need co2 for photosynthesis

2. They produce co2 in respiration

What is the role of phytoplankton in biological carbon sequestration

• they sequester carbon in respiration and photosynthesis

• They hold carbon in their shells

• When they did the contribute to sedimentary rocks stores

How is the intensity of phytoplankton sequestration increased

The thermocline circulation mains nutrients are continuously delivered to phytoplankton

What is the Gulf Stream

A warm ocean current from the Gulf of Mexico that crosses Europe as the North Atlantic drift

How does co2 carrying change with ocean temp

Cold water carries more co2

So as warm water rises it loses co2 into the atmosphere