Water and Carbon Cycles- Intro to Carbon Cycle Flashcards Preview

A Level Physical Geography > Water and Carbon Cycles- Intro to Carbon Cycle > Flashcards

Flashcards in Water and Carbon Cycles- Intro to Carbon Cycle Deck (10)
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1
Q

Define carbon stores

A

The main stores of carbon are the lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere and biosphere

2
Q

Define carbon sink

A

A store that absorbs more carbon than it releases

3
Q

Define carbon source

A

A store that releases more carbon than it absorbs

4
Q

Define carbon transfer

A

Processes that transfer carbon between stores eg. photosynthesis takes carbon out of the atmosphere as CO2 and converts it to carbohydrates such as glucose
Inputs and outputs affect the size of carbon stores

5
Q

Define GtC

A

A gigatonne of CO2 is used to measure the amount of carbon in stores
1GtC= 1 billion tonnes
Transfer (flux) if carbon within the cycle is measured in gigatonnes per year (GtC/year)

6
Q

Define anthropogenic CO2

A

Carbon dioxide generated by human activity

7
Q

Define greenhouse gas

A

Any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere

8
Q

Define lithosphere

A

The crust and uppermost mantle; this constitutes the hard and rigid outer layer of the earth

9
Q

Define weathering

A

The breakdown of rocks in situ by a combination of weather, plants and animals

10
Q

Define carbon sequestration

A

The capture of CO2 from the atmosphere or capturing of anthropogenic CO2 from large scale stationary sources (eg. power plants) before it is released into the atmosphere. Once captured it can be put in long term storage