The Carbon Cycle and Biological Carbon Processes

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key terms, processes, and carbon reservoirs from the lecture transcript.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon between molecules, primarily $CO_2$, glucose, and methane, which is stored between carbon sources and soils.

Carbon sinks

Carbon reservoirs that store more carbon than they release, helping to mitigate climate change.

Carbon sources

Processes or reservoirs that release more carbon into the atmosphere than they store, such as fossil fuel combustion, animal agriculture, and deforestation.

Photosynthesis

A biological process carried out by plants, algae, and phytoplankton that removes $CO_2$ from the atmosphere and converts it into glucose.

Glucose

An organic, biological molecule created by living things that functions as a sugar to store energy.

Cellular respiration

A process carried out by all living organisms where oxygen is used to break down glucose to release energy, releasing $CO_2$ gas into the atmosphere.

Direct exchange

A quick process where $CO_2$ gas moves directly back and forth between the atmosphere and the ocean in roughly equal directions.

Ocean acidification

The process where the ocean becomes more acidic as $CO_2$ levels in the atmosphere and ocean increase.

Calcium carbonate

The compound formed using carbon taken out of the ocean by coral reefs and marine organisms to build their shells.

Sedimentation

The process where dead marine organisms, algae, and shells sink to the bottom of the ocean and are broken down into small pieces called sediments.

Burial

A very slow geological process where sediments are compressed over thousands to millions of years by overlying pressure to form sedimentary rock or fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, and natural gas formed through the long-term sedimentation and burial of fossilized organic matter.

Extraction

The process of digging up underground fossil fuels through mining so they can be burned for energy.

Combustion

The burning of fossil fuels for energy, which rapidly returns stored carbon to the atmosphere in the form of $CO_2$.