10 questions🇬🇧English
♻️ The Carbon Cycle – A-level
Geography · A-level — practises carbon stores, fluxes, ocean pumps and human impacts on the carbon cycle
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Questions
Which carbon store holds by far the largest amount of carbon on Earth?
Atmosphere (as CO₂)
Oceans (deep water)
Lithosphere (sedimentary rocks)
Biosphere (living things)
20s
Which process moves carbon from the atmosphere into the biosphere?
Combustion
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Decomposition
20s
In the carbon cycle, what is meant by a 'flux'?
The total carbon held in the atmosphere
The rate of carbon transfer between stores
A reservoir where carbon is held over time
The time carbon stays in a single store
20s
What does the ocean's biological pump do?
Cold water absorbs CO₂ and sinks at the poles
Phytoplankton fix CO₂ and dead matter sinks to depth
Rivers carry dissolved carbon into the oceans
Volcanic vents release carbon into seawater
30s
Why does the physical (solubility) pump work most strongly in high-latitude oceans?
Warm water dissolves more CO₂ and then rises
Sea ice photosynthesises and stores CO₂
Cold water dissolves more CO₂ and then sinks
Low-salinity water stops CO₂ from escaping
30s
Why do peatlands store such large amounts of carbon?
Peat plants photosynthesise faster than trees
Acid rain adds extra carbon to the soil
Waterlogged, anaerobic conditions slow decomposition
High temperatures speed up plant growth
30s
How does rising CO₂ make it harder for corals and molluscs to build shells?
Extra CO₂ raises ocean pH and salinity
More CO₂ blocks sunlight reaching the seabed
Dissolved CO₂ removes calcium from seawater
Carbonic acid lowers pH and reduces carbonate ions
30s
When thawed permafrost becomes waterlogged, anaerobic decomposition releases mainly which potent greenhouse gas?
Methane
Water vapour
Nitrous oxide
Carbon monoxide
30s
Of the CO₂ emitted by human activities, approximately what share stays in the atmosphere?
About 45%
About 10%
About 95%
About 75%
30s
Apart from the fuel burned, why does making cement release CO₂?
Clay in cement oxidises when it is heated
Mixing cement with water gives off CO₂
Quarrying exposes peat that then decomposes
Heating limestone splits CaCO₃ into CaO and CO₂
30s