Carbon cycle

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/wiki/Image:Carbon cycle!cute "iagram.#peg cute "iagram.#peg

/wiki/Image:Carbon cycle!

/wiki/Image:Carbon cycle!cute "iagram.#peg/wiki/Image:Carbon cycle!cute "iagram.#peg$iagram o% the carbon cycle. &he black numbers in"icate how much carbon is store" in various reservoirs, in billions o% tons '()tC( stan"s %or )iga&ons o% Carbon an" %igures are circa *++,-. &he purple numbers in"icate how much carbon moves between reservoirs each year. &he se"iments, as "e%ine" in this "iagram, "o not inclu"e the ./+ million )tC o% carbonate rock an" kerogen. &he carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is e0change" between the biosphere, geosphere, hy"rosphere, an" atmosphere o% the 1arth. &he cycle is usually thought o% as %our ma#or reservoirs o% carbon interconnecte" by pathways o% e0change. &he reservoirs are the atmosphere, the terrestrial biosphere 'which usually inclu"es %reshwater systems an" non!living organic material, such as soil carbon-, the oceans 'which inclu"es "issolve" inorganic carbon an" living an" non! living marine biota-, an" the se"iments 'which inclu"es %ossil %uels-. &he annual movements o% carbon, the carbon e0changes between reservoirs, occur because o% various chemical, physical, geological, an" biological processes. &he ocean contains the largest active pool o% carbon near the sur%ace o% the 1arth, but the "eep ocean part o% this pool "oes not rapi"ly e0change with the atmosphere. &he global carbon budget is the balance o% the e0changes 'incomes an" losses- o% carbon between the carbon reservoirs or between one speci%ic loop 'e.g., atmosphere ! biosphere- o% the carbon cycle. 2n e0amination o% the carbon bu"get o% a pool or reservoir can provi"e in%ormation about whether the pool or reservoir is %unctioning as a source or sink %or carbon "io0i"e.

Contents
3hi"e4 5 In the atmosphere * In the biosphere 6 In the oceans , 7ee also 8 9e%erences 8.5 Further rea"ing : 10ternal links

[edit] In the atmosphere

Carbon e0ists in the 1arth;s atmosphere primarily as the gas carbon "io0i"e 'CO*-. 2lthough it is a very small part o% the atmosphere overall 'appro0imately +.+,< on a molar basis, though rising-, it plays an important role in supporting li%e. Other gases containing carbon in the atmosphere are methane an" chloro%luorocarbons 'the latter is entirely anthropogenic-. &he overall atmospheric concentration o% these greenhouse gases has been increasing in recent "eca"es, contributing to global warming.354 Carbon is taken %rom the atmosphere in several ways: =hen the sun is shining, plants per%orm photosynthesis to convert carbon "io0i"e into carbohy"rates, releasing o0ygen in the process. &his process is most proli%ic in relatively new %orests where tree growth is still rapi". 2t the sur%ace o% the oceans towar"s the poles, seawater becomes cooler an" more carbonic aci" is %orme" as CO* becomes more soluble. &his is couple" to the ocean;s thermohaline circulation which transports "ense sur%ace water into the ocean;s interior 'see the entry on the solubility pump-. In upper ocean areas o% high biological pro"uctivity, organisms convert re"uce" carbon to tissues, or carbonates to har" bo"y parts such as shells an" tests. &hese are, respectively, o0i"i>e" 'so%t!tissue pumpan" re"issolve" 'carbonate pump- at lower average levels o% the ocean than those at which they %orme", resulting in a "ownwar" %low o% carbon 'see entry on the biological pump-. &he weathering o% silicate rock. Carbonic aci" reacts with weathere" rock to pro"uce bicarbonate ions. &he bicarbonate ions pro"uce" are carrie" to the ocean, where they are use" to make marine carbonates. ?nlike "issolve" CO* in e@uilibrium or tissues which "ecay, weathering "oes not move the carbon into a reservoir %rom which it can rea"ily return to the atmosphere. Carbon can be release" back into the atmosphere in many "i%%erent ways, &hrough the respiration per%orme" by plants an" animals. &his is an e0othermic reaction an" it involves the breaking "own o% glucose 'or other organic molecules- into carbon "io0i"e an" water. &hrough the "ecay o% animal an" plant matter. Fungi an" bacteria break "own the carbon compoun"s in "ea" animals an" plants an" convert the carbon to carbon "io0i"e i% o0ygen is present, or methane i% not. &hrough combustion o% organic material which o0i"i>es the carbon it contains, pro"ucing carbon "io0i"e 'an" other things, like water vapor-. Aurning %ossil %uels such as coal, petroleum pro"ucts, an" natural gas releases carbon that has been store" in the geosphere %or millions o% years. Bro"uction o% cement. Carbon "io0i"e is release" when limestone 'calcium carbonate- is heate" to pro"uce lime 'calcium o0i"e-, a component o% cement. 2t the sur%ace o% the oceans where the water becomes warmer, "issolve" carbon "io0i"e is release" back into the atmosphere Colcanic eruptions an" metamorphism release gases into the atmosphere. Colcanic gases are primarily water vapor, carbon "io0i"e an" sul%ur "io0i"e. &he carbon "io0i"e release" is roughly e@ual to the amount remove" by silicate weatheringD so the two processes, which are the chemical reverse o% each other, sum to roughly >ero, an" "o not a%%ect the level o% atmospheric carbon "io0i"e on time scales o% less than about 5++,+++ yr.

[edit] In the biosphere

2roun" 5,E++ gigatons o% carbon are present in the biosphere. Carbon is an essential part o% li%e on 1arth. It plays an important role in the structure, biochemistry, an" nutrition o% all living cells. 2utotrophs are organisms that pro"uce their own organic compoun"s using carbon "io0i"e %rom the air or water in which they live. &o "o this they re@uire an e0ternal source o% energy. 2lmost all autotrophs use

solar ra"iation to provi"e this, an" their pro"uction process is calle" photosynthesis. 2 small number o% autotrophs e0ploit chemical energy sources in a process calle" chemosynthesis. &he most important autotrophs %or the carbon cycle are trees in %orests on lan" an" phytoplankton in the 1arth;s oceans. Bhotosynthesis %ollows the reaction :CO* F :G*O H C:G5*O: F :O* Carbon is trans%erre" within the biosphere as heterotrophs %ee" on other organisms or their parts 'e.g., %ruits-. &his inclu"es the uptake o% "ea" organic material '"etritus- by %ungi an" bacteria %or %ermentation or "ecay. Iost carbon leaves the biosphere through respiration. =hen o0ygen is present, aerobic respiration occurs, which releases carbon "io0i"e into the surroun"ing air or water, %ollowing the reaction C:G5*O: F :O* H :CO* F :G*O. Otherwise, anaerobic respiration occurs an" releases methane into the surroun"ing environment, which eventually makes its way into the atmosphere or hy"rosphere 'e.g., as marsh gas or %latulence-. Aurning o% biomass 'e.g. %orest %ires, woo" use" %or heating, anything else organic- can also trans%er substantial amounts o% carbon to the atmosphere Carbon may also be circulate" within the biosphere when "ea" organic matter 'such as peat- becomes incorporate" in the geosphere. 2nimal shells o% calcium carbonate, in particular, may eventually become limestone through the process o% se"imentation. Iuch remains to be learne" about the cycling o% carbon in the "eep ocean. For e0ample, a recent "iscovery is that larvacean mucus houses 'commonly known as (sinkers(- are create" in such large numbers that they can "eliver as much carbon to the "eep ocean as has been previously "etecte" by se"iment traps.3*4 Aecause o% their si>e an" composition, these houses are rarely collecte" in such traps, so most biogeochemical analyses have erroneously ignore" them. Carbon storage in the biosphere is in%luence" by a number o% processes on "i%%erent time!scales: while net primary pro"uctivity %ollows a "iurnal an" seasonal cycle, carbon can be store" up to several hun"re"s o% years in trees an" up to thousan"s o% years in soils. Changes in those long term carbon pools 'e.g. through "e! or a%%orestation or through temperature!relate" changes in soil respiration- may thus a%%ect global climate change.

[edit] In the oceans

/wiki/Image:&IC oceans.png

/wiki/Image:&IC oceans.png

/wiki/Image:&IC oceans.png/wiki/Image:&IC oceans.png(Bresent "ay( '5EE+s- sea sur%ace "issolve" inorganic carbon concentration '%rom the )JO$2B climatology&he oceans contain aroun" 6:,+++ gigatonnes o% carbon, mostly in the %orm o% bicarbonate ion. Inorganic carbon, that is carbon compoun"s with no carbon!carbon or carbon!hy"rogen bon"s, is important in its reactions within water. &his carbon e0change becomes important in controlling pG in the ocean an" can also vary as a source or sink %or carbon. Carbon is rea"ily e0change" between the atmosphere an" ocean. In regions o% oceanic upwelling, carbon is release" to the atmosphere. Conversely, regions o% "ownwelling trans%er carbon 'CO *- %rom the atmosphere to the ocean. =hen CO* enters the ocean, carbonic aci" is %orme":

CO* F G*O G*CO6

&his reaction has a %orwar" an" reverse rate, that is it achieves a chemical e@uilibrium. 2nother reaction important in controlling oceanic pG levels is the release o% hy"rogen ions an" bicarbonate. &his reaction controls large changes in pG:

G*CO6 GF F GCO6K
In the oceans, bicarbonate can combine with calcium to %orm limestone 'calcium carbonate, CaCO6, with silica-, which precipitates to the ocean %loor. Jimestone is the largest reservoir o% carbon in the carbon cycle. &he calcium comes %rom the weathering o% calcium!silicate rocks, which causes the silicon in the rocks to combine with o0ygen to %orm san" or @uart> 'silicon "io0i"e-, leaving calcium ions available to %orm limestone364.

[edit] See also

C,IIB Ocean aci"i%ication Brimary pro"uction Carbon %ootprint Jow carbon "iet