Carbon reservoirs atmospheric

Direct measurements made at Mauna Loa since 1958 (4) indicate that the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2 is increasing. In 1988, the atmospheric carbon reservoir was estimated at 351 and larger than at any time... 

Figure 1. The global carbon cycle. Estimates of reservoir size and annual fluxes are from Post et al. (4), Vegetation carbon reservoir was estimated from latest carbon density estimates. All values except the atmospheric reservoir are approximate only. All values are in gigatons. Fluxes are next to the arrows and are in gigatons ear.

In situations where Tobs is comparable in magnitude to tq, a more complex relation prevails between Q, S, and M. Atmospheric CO2 falls in this last category although its turnover time (3 years, cf. Fig. 4-3) is much shorter than Tobs (about 300 years). This is because the atmospheric CO2 reservoir is closely coupled to the carbon reservoir in the biota and in the surface layer of the oceans (Section 4.3). The effective turnover time of the combined system is actually several hundred years (Rodhe and Bjdrk-strom, 1979). 

This treatment of the carbon cycle is intended to give an account of the fundamental aspects of the carbon cycle from a global perspective. After a presentation of the main characteristics of carbon on Earth (Section 11.2), four sections follow 11.3, about the carbon reservoirs within the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere... 

The most abundant isotope is which constitutes almost 99% of the carbon in nature. About 1% of the carbon atoms are There are, however, small but significant differences in the relative abundance of the carbon isotopes in different carbon reservoirs. The differences in isotopic composition have proven to be an important tool when estimating exchange rates between the reservoirs. Isotopic variations are caused by fractionation processes (discussed below) and, for C, radioactive decay. Formation of takes place only in the upper atmosphere where neutrons generated by cosmic radiation react with nitrogen ... 

The content of the material in a carbon reservoir is a measure of that reservoir s direct or indirect exchange rate with the atmosphere, although variations in solar also create variations in atmospheric content activity (Stuiver and Quay, 1980, 1981). Geologically important reservoirs (i.e., carbonate rocks and fossil carbon) contain no radiocarbon because the turnover times of these reservoirs are much longer than the isotope s half-life. The distribution of is used in studies of ocean circulation, soil sciences, and studies of the terrestrial biosphere. 

In order to calculate the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, it is necessary to figure the total dissolved carbon and alkalinity as well. I consider three reservoirs—atmosphere, surface sea, and deep sea—as illustrated in Figure 5-1. I distinguish between the concentrations in the surface and deep reservoirs by using a terminal letter. v for the surface reservoir and d for the deep reservoir. 

Carbon cpntent of reservoirs atmosphere (SJ, biosphere (Nb), mixed layer (N,J, and ocean (N0J. R is the t4C concentration of C in the reservoir and atmospheric concentration is defined as 100 percent. The I4C concentrations are corrected for isotopic fractionation to a common 8,3C = —25 per mil. K is the eddy diflusivity, and S,aC is the i3C concentration deviation from a standard. 

The error results in the following way. The amount of organic carbon dissolved in the oceans is 0.14 gm/cm2, about equal to the amount of carbon in atmospheric carbon dioxide of 0.13 g C/cm2. Since the organic carbon is 2.7 percent depleted in carbon-13, the atmospheric reservoir is correspondingly enriched by 2.7 percent. 

In past times the total mass of stored organic carbon may have been larger or smaller than it is now, depending on the past climate. Let us define as the norm the amount of carbon presently stored, M, and define a time dependent factor, M/M, by which the organic carbon reservoir may be increased (M/M > 1) as in a lush, tropical coal age, or decreased (M/M < 1) as in an ice age, where M is the mass of organic carbon at the time in the past when the material was alive. We assume that the total amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide has always remained the same (which may or may not be true). 

The crust is the largest carbon reservoir in the crustal-ocean-atmosphere factory (8 x 10 Pg C including the sediments). Most of this carbon is in the form of inorganic minerals, predominantly limestone, with the rest being organic matter, predominantly contained in shale and secondarily in fossil fuel deposits (coal, oil, and natural gas). The oceanic reservoir (4 X lO" Pg C) and the terrestrial reservoir (2 to 3 x 10 Pg C) are both far smaller than the crustal reservoir. The smallest reservoir is found in the atmospheric, primarily as CO2 (preindustrial 6 x 10 Pg C, now 8 x 10 Pg C and rising). The flux estimates in Figure 25.1 have been constrained by an assumption that the preindustrial atmospheric and oceanic reservoirs were in steady state over intermediate time scales (millennia). 

The atmospheric carbon reservoir is largely controlled by biotic processes. To obtain a better sense of this, it is helpful to consider the turnover time of carbon in the... 

Table I shows our estimate of the situation which prevailed in the various carbon reservoirs in the pre-nuclear era and at the end of 1962. The 1961-1962 tests contributed an additional -— 35 X 1027 14C atoms into the atmosphere, principally the stratosphere. These atoms therefore...

Obviously this wide distribution of the 14C formed in the atmosphere lakes time it is believed to require a period of 500-1000 years. This time is not. however, a deterrent to radiocarbon dating because of two factors die long half-life of I4C and the relatively constant rate of cosmic-ray formation of l4C in the earth s atmosphere over the most recent several thousands of years. These considerations lead to the conclusion that the proportion of 14C in the carbon reservoir of the earth is constant, and that the addition by cosmic ray production is in balance with the loss by radioactive decay. If this conclusion is warranted, then the carbon dioxide on earth many centuries ago had the same content of radioactive carbon as the carbon dioxide on earth today, Thus, radioactive carbon in the wood of a tree growing centuries ago had the same content as that in carbon oil earth today. Therefore, if we wish to determine how long ago a tree was cut down to build an ancient fire, all we need to do is to determine the relative 14C content of the carbon in the charcoal remaining, using the value we have determined for llie half life of 14C. If the carbon from Ihe charcoal in an ancient cave has only as much 14C radioactivity as does carbon on earth today, then we can conclude that the tree which furnished llie firewood grew 5730 30 years ago. 

Organic matter in soils is the largest carbon reservoir in rapid exchange with atmospheric C02, and thus it is important as a potential source and sink of greenhouse gases over time scales of human concern (Fischlin and Gyalistras, 1997). SOM... 

From Figure 9.1, it can be seen that the major form of carbon in the atmosphere is C02(g), constituting over 99% of atmospheric carbon. Carbon dioxide makes up 0.035% by volume of atmospheric gases, or 350 ixatm = 350 ppmv. The atmosphere has a mass of CO2 that is only 2% of the mass of total inorganic carbon in the ocean, and both of these carbon masses are small compared to the mass of carbon tied up in sediments and sedimentary rocks. Therefore, small changes in carbon masses in the ocean and sediment reservoirs can substantially alter the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere. Furthermore, there is presently 3 to 4 times more carbon stored on land in living plants and humus than resides in the atmosphere. A decrease in the size of the terrestrial organic carbon reservoir of only 0.1% y-1 would be equivalent to an increase in the annual respiration and decay carbon flux to the atmosphere of nearly 4%. If this carbon were stored in the atmosphere, atmospheric CO2 would increase by 0.4%, or about 1 ppmv y-l. The... 

Stuiver, M. (1978) Atmospheric carbon dioxide and carbon reservoir changes. Science 199, 253-258. 

The most actively cycled reservoir of carbon is atmospheric C02 (it constitutes 0.034% of the atmosphere). Carbon dioxide dissolves readily in water and is in direct equilibrium with dissolved inorganic forms of carbon (H2C03, HCO, and CO7-, see Section 6.2.1.3). Once there, it may precipitate as solid calcium carbonate (limestone). Corals and algae encourage this reaction and build up limestone reefs in the process, but a much larger portion in the deep sea equilibrates only at the slow rate of... 

Variability in the Amount of Carbon in Reservoirs. In addition to variations in the production and distribution of radiocarbon over time and within portions of various carbon reservoirs, variations may result in situations where carbon not in equilibrium with the contemporary standard values is added or removed from any reservoir. Two instances of this are well documented since they occurred within the last century as a result of human intervention. The first is known as the industrial or Suess effect and is caused by the combustion of fossil fuels beginning about 1890, resulting in a depletion of atmospheric activities by about 3% (76). A more recent occurrence has been called the atomic bomb or Libby effect. The detonation of nuclear devices in the atmosphere beginning in 1945 produced large amounts of artificial increasing the radiocarbon concentrations in the atmosphere by more than 100% in the Northern Hemisphere (77). Because of equilibration with the oceans, the levels have been diminishing steadily since the atmospheric testing was terminated by the major nuclear powers except France and the People s Repub-... 

Recent pelagic sediments containing over 30% calcium carbonate, by dry weight, cover a quarter of the surface of the earth (see Figure 1). These sediments make up a vast and chemically reactive carbonate reservoir which has a major influence on the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere. In order to have a predictive understanding of the natural carbon dioxide system and the influence of man on it, the chemical dynamics of calcium carbonate deposition in the deep ocean basins must be known in detail. 

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