The Carbon Cycle

Flashcards about key vocabulary from a lecture on the carbon cycle.

Carbon Cycle

The cycling of carbon between its different stores (ocean, lithosphere, atmosphere).

Organic Carbon

Carbon found in biomass (plants and animals).

Inorganic Carbon

Carbon found in fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

Carbon Dioxide

A gas and a greenhouse gas important for keeping the Earth warm.

Methane

Another greenhouse gas, also known as CH4.

Calcium Carbonate

Also known as limestone.

Hydrocarbons

Fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.

Mantle

The Earth's semi-molten layer below the crust that is the origin of a lot of carbon.

Hydrosphere

Water or the oceans within the major stores of carbon.

Lithosphere

Rock and the upper layers of the Earth's crust within the major stores of carbon.

Biosphere

The living part of the carbon cycle including the soil, plants, and animals within the major stores of carbon.

Atmosphere

Where we have carbon in its gaseous form such as carbon dioxide or methane within the major stores of carbon.

Humic Substances

Decaying material.

Peat

Another word for decaying material.

Plant Litter

When leaves and things fall off plants and they're simply kind of lying on the floor, and then they begin to decay.

Greenhouse Effect

CO2 concentration increasing over time.