Carbon Cycle

Key carbon sinks

• Atmosphere

  • Primarily CO2

  • trace amounts of methane

• Lithosphere

  • Stored in fossil fuels and carbonate rocks like limestone/chalk

• Hydrosphere

  • Dissolved hydrogen carbonate ions

  • Marine shells

• Biosphere

  • organic carbon found in terrestrial and aquatic biomass

Key Processes & Mechanisms

• Photosynthesis

  • Removes CO2

  • Producers convert inorganic carbon into organic compounds via the Calvin cycle

    • RuBP is carboxylaed by the enzyme rubisico

• Feeding

  • organic carbon is passed to promary and consumers