BRAINCAKEShort-term Carbon Sinks
A carbon store (reservoir) is anywhere carbon is held. A carbon sink is a store that absorbs more carbon than it releases, so it removes CO2 from the atmosphere. A carbon source releases more carbon than it absorbs.
Whether a store acts as a sink depends on the balance between uptake (photosynthesis and dissolving) and release (respiration, decomposition and combustion).
The main natural sinks that exchange carbon with the atmosphere over years to decades are:
• Oceans: CO2 dissolves in surface water, more readily in cold water than in warm water. Phytoplankton fix dissolved CO2 by photosynthesis, and some of the carbon sinks to the deep ocean in dead organisms and faeces. The oceans have absorbed about a quarter of the CO2 released by humans.
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More in The Efficiency of Ecosystems
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- Energy Transfer and Food Chain Length
- Nutrient Recycling
- Conditions for Recycling Nutrients
- Microorganisms in the Nitrogen Cycle
- Microorganisms in the Carbon Cycle
- Long-term Carbon Sinks
- Human Influence
All 20 lessons in The Efficiency of Ecosystems · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics