Comparison of Carbon Biogeochemical Processes in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

Comparison of Carbon Biogeochemical Processes in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems 

The interaction between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere is the principal factor for understanding large carbon biogeochemical cycles. As it has been mentioned above, the gases of the troposphere and the surface layer of the ocean persist in a state of kinetic equilibrium. 

Compared with the atmosphere, where most carbon is presented by CO2, oceanic carbon is mainly present in four forms dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), and the marine biota itself. 

The conjugate pairs responsible for most of the pH buffercapacity in marine water are HC03 /C03 and B(OH)3/B(OH)4. Althoughthepredominanceof HC03 at the oceanic pH of 8.2 actually places the carbonate system close to a pH buffer minimum, its importance is maintained by tbe bigb DIC concentration ( 2 mm). 

Fromcbemical aqueous carbon specification, tbe alkalinity, Aik, representing tbe acid-neutralizing capacity of tbe solution, is given by tbe following equation  

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