Lesson 1

Topic - 5
Carbon in the System

Carbon reservoirs
39,800 Gton

Soils: 1580 Gton

Vegetation: 610 GTon

Ocean

Land Surface

Atmosphere

Solid Earth

750 Gton C
(CO2)

How does the size of each

carbon reservoir respond to
perturbations?

99.9% of all C!!!

20% of this is Organic
80% is CaCO3

Carbonate-silicate cycle
CaSiO3 (s)+ 2H2CO3(aq) = Ca+2 + 2HCO3(aq) + SiO2 (aq) +H2O
Ca+2 + 2HCO3(aq) = CaCO3 (s)+ H2CO3(aq)
CO2 (g)+ H2O(l) = H2CO3(aq)
CaSiO3 (s)+ CO2 (g) = CaCO3 (s) + SiO2 (aq)

Urey Reaction

Net result of silicate weathering

Carbonate metamorphism (reverse of silicate weathering)

CaCO3 (s)+ SiO2 (s) = CaSiO3 (s)(wollastonite) + CO2 (g)

CaSiO3+ CO2 = CaCO3 + SiO2

Igneous Rock
Frozen lava/magma
At high temperature
Deep earth
CO2 goes to gas
form
Wants all the CO2 in
atmosphere

Sedimentary Rock
Limestone & sand
Prefers the low
temperatures at
surface
Wants low
concentrations of
CO2 (PCO2 10 ppm)
Natural atmosphere
= 280 ppm

Rate of CO2 going into atmosphere is a driver of the Carbon Cycle

Rate of weathering dependent on the rainfall as it dissolves Rock + CO2 into water.
Therefore depends on Temperature which depends on CO2 concentration

Organic Carbon
Photosynthesis

CO2 + H2O + Energy CH2O + O2

Organic Carbon

Reverse of this is Respiration

Primary producers in the sea

phytoplankton (upper 100m in photic zone)

Diatom with sliceous test

(50mm diameter)

Coccolithoforid with
calcite test
(10mm diameter)

Planktonic consumers in the sea

zooplankton

Foraminifera with calcite

test (600mm diameter)

Radiolarian with
siliceous test (50mm
diameter)

Organic Carbon in the Ocean

Primary production of
organic C in surface
waters oxidation of
organic C in deeper
waters
Settling organic
particles by-pass fluid
advection
Balanced by upwelling

Buffer Reaction
CO2 H 2O H 2CO3

H 2CO3 H HCO

2
3

HCO H CO
Overall Reaction

2
3

CO2 CO H 2O 2HCO
Le Chateliers Principle

2
3

CO2 CO H 2O 2HCO

CO2 in the air sees [CO2] in the water.

When CO2 in the air increases, some of
the CO2 in the water is taken away as is
CO32- hiding it as HCO3- allowing more
CO2 to dissolve.
What happens when CO32- is depleted?
Low CO32- causes CaCO3 to dissolve so
CaCO3 Ca2+ + CO32 Where is the CaCO3 coming from?

So how much CO2 can the

Oceans take up?
Current(?) CO2 budget (in 2007)

Volcanoes: 0.1 Gton C per year

Deforestation: 2 Gton C per year
Fossil Fuel: 7 Gton C per year
What is it now?

Atmospheric CO2 changing at ~2ppm per

year = 4 Gton C per year
Where is the rest of the 5 Gton C per year?
Oceans are taking up 2.5 Gton C per year
By default the remaining 2.5 Gton C must be
going into the Land!

Observed CO2 Changes

Source: Scripps CO2 Program

CO2 Annual Cycle

CO2 Anomalies

Seasonal fluctuation in
mospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa

OrganicCcycle(LongTerm)

Geologicalprocessescontrolatmospheric
CO2 onlongertimescales
0.1%ofmarineproductivityleaksintolong
termgeologicstorage
ThisleakcontrolstheO2 contentofthe
atmosphere
CO2 +H2O= CH2O+ O2
OrganicCinsedimentaryrocksisthelargest
reservoironearth(108 Gtons)
Residencetimeis200Ma

Carbon Cycle

Processes & Time-scales