Carbon cycle- intro

What are examples of materials in which carbon is found?

Graphite

Charcoal

Petroleum

Plastics

What element is found in all living organisms?

Carbon.

Around how many different compounds can carbon form?

Nearly 10 000 000.

Where is carbon formed?

The interior of stars.

What are diamond and graphite?

They are both allotropes of carbon

They are also some of the hardest and softest substances respectively

Carbon is the __ most abundant element?

4th.

Approximately how much carbon is there on earth?

65 000 billion metric tonnes.

Where is most of Earth’s carbon stored?

In rocks and the soil above them.

Define carbon flux.

A process moving carbon from one store to another.

What is the ocean for carbon?

A natural carbon sink.

What does the carbon cycle display?

The flows of carbon between stores.

What has human activity done to carbon levels on Earth?

Put more CO2 into the air, causing global temperature rise.

The carbon cycle:

What are the four general places carbon is stored on earth?

Biosphere

Lithosphere

Atmosphere

Hydrosphere

What is the carbon budget?

The comparison of inputs and outputs of carbon in a particular carbon store.

Define carbon budget.

The balance of exchanges between the four carbon stores.

What is the largest carbon store?

The lithosphere.

What is the soil carbon store known as?

The pedosphere.

What is a carbon footprint?

The total amount of CO2 produced by human activities.

What is radiative forcing?

A measure of how much the Earth’s energy balance is disrupted by a factor like a change in greenhouse gases or solar output.

Quantified in watts per m².

What can radiative forcing tell us?

Whether a carbon imbalance will cause the planet to:

• Warm (this is called positive forcing)

• or

• Cool (this is called negative forcing)

Why is radiative forcing a naturally important phenomenon?

• Allows scientists to measure the relative impact of different factors on climate change

• Helps us understand Earth’s climate overall

• Provides insight into the climatic impacts of changes in greenhouse gas concentrations

• Crucial for evaluating the extent of climate change

How much does CO2 contribute to radiative forcing?

Makes up 65% of greenhouse gas contributions

Is the largest contributor

2.16 W/m² from 1750-2019

How much has radiative forcing increased in the last decade?

Approximately 0.32 W/m².

What will atmospheric warming do to our planet?

• Extreme weather

• Sea level rise

• Wild fires, leading to habitat loss

• Desertification

• Health risks

What are four causes of increased emissions?

Burning fossil fuels

Increase in mechanised industry

Agriculture

Food production

Which carbon sink is helping the most to remove carbon from the atmosphere?

The ocean- it is the largest carbon sink.

What is the role of peat soil in the UK?

• Largest  natural carbon store

• Provides clean drinking water

• Regulates flood risk

• Vital habitat

What are four ways carbon is currently being lost from peat bog?

Drainage

Burning

Commercial extraction

Conversion to other land uses

How is drainage removing carbon from peat bogs?

• When bogs are drained, the water table drops

• This exposes peat to oxygen

• Increased oxygen causes decomposition

• This releases carbon

Why and how are peat bogs usually drained?

By humans, for land use.

How does burning remove carbon from peat bogs?

• Fires burn away dry peat that has accumulated over time

• This releases their stored carbon back as a greenhouse gas

How does commercial extraction remove carbon from peat bogs?

• Peat is dug up for use in products like garden compost

• This physically removes large amounts of stored carbon from the bog

How does conversion to other land uses remove carbon from peat bogs?

• Peatlands are often converted for other land uses, such a farming or planting trees

• This destroys the peatland ecosystem along with its ability to sequester carbon

• This turns a former sink into a carbon source

How can climate change cause carbon loss from peat bogs?

• It is dissolved and carried away in river water

• Higher temperatures and wetter winters make the peat more vulnerable

• Erosion of the ground allows peat to be washed away