UP

PE
CR
CARBON RESERVOIRS
LITHOSPHERE OCEANS TERRESTRIAL
US TLE
RM

BIOSPHERE &
T
AN

SOIL
38,000 Gt
100,000,000 Gt 2,400 Gt

ATMOSPHERE
average increase 4 Gt year-1

830 Gt
1 Gt =
Data from: 2013: Carbon and Other Biogeochemical Cycles. In: Climate Change
2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
X 6 MILLION
 CARBON IN THE OCEAN
CO2 = CARBON DIOXIDE
H2CO3 = CARBONIC ACID
CaCO3 = CALCIUM CARBONATE
C6H12O6 = GLUCOSE
HCO = BICARBONATE ION
-
CO2 IN ATMOSPHERE
3

CO2 EXCHANGE
PHYTOPLANKTON ORGANISMS BUILD
PHOTIC ZONE

GROWTH CO2 IN CaCO3 SHELLS

ACID

CO2 + H20 H2CO3

~200m 6CO2 C6H12O6 H2CO3 HCO3- + H+
+ 6H20 + 6O2 Ca +
2+ CO2 + H20
H+ + CO32- HCO3- 2HCO3- +CaCO3
DECOMPOSITION

O N

A TI O N
UPW

SEDIMENTAT I
ELLI

MENT
CARBONATE
NG

SEDIMENTS

SEDI
A T ER NUTRIENTS DISSOLUTION OF
DEEPW ION ORGANIC CARBON IN DEEP OCEAN
CI R CU L AT +CO2
SEDIMENTS
CARBON IN THE TERRESTRIAL BIOSPHERE
9 Gt
CO2 IN ATMOSPHERE
G t ATMOSPHERE HOLDS 830 Gt CARBON
12 0 NET ANNUAL INCREASE ~4 Gt

120
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS, LARGE
SCALE DEFORESTATION & CEMENT
MANUFACTURE RELEASES CO2

Gt
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
AUTOTROPHS EXTRACT 6H2O + 6CO2 C6H12O6 + 6O2
CO2 FROM THE
ATMOSPHERE DURING RESPIRATION RESPIRATION BY PLANTS,
PHOTOSYNTHESIS & ANIMALS & SOIL MICROBES USES
CONVERT IT INTO THE ENERGY STORED IN
ORGANIC MATTER CARBOHYDRATES & RELEASES CO2
BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

CARBON CARRIED BY
VEGETATION HOLDS
RIVERS TO OCEAN 450-650 Gt CARBON
ORGANIC CARBON
IN SOIL
SOIL HOLDS 1500 - 2400 Gt
SOIL MICROBES DECOMPOSE ORGANIC CARBON
DEAD ORGANISMS AND
WASTE PRODUCTS Data from: 2013: Carbon and Other Biogeochemical Cycles. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis.
Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
 CO2 IN THE OCEAN REACTS WITH H20 TO FORM
H2CO3 WHICH DISSOLVES CaCO3.THE MORE CO2 CARBONATE
IN THE WATER, THE MORE CaCO3 DISSOLVES
COMPENSATION DEPTH
INCREASING CO2 IN WATER CO2 HELD IN WATER INCREASES INCREASING CO2 IN WATER
WITH DECREASING TEMPERATURE

ARCTIC ORGANISMS BUILD ANTARCTIC

CaCO3 SHELLS ABOVE CCD
INCREASING SOLUBILITY OF CaCO3

INCREASING CO2 IN WATER

CaCO3 ACCUMULATES
CA
RB

MARINE
ON

EC SNOW
AT

OM
PE BELOW CCD
N SA
TIO CaCO3 DISSOLVES
ND
EPT
H (CCD)
~4500m
CaCO3 SOLUBILITY INCREASES WITH DEPTH DUE TO CO2 = CARBON DIOXIDE
INCREASING PRESSURE & DECREASING TEMPERATURE. H2CO3 = CARBONIC ACID
DECOMPOSITION OF SINKING ORGANIC MATTER CAUSES
CO2 CONCENTRATION TO INCREASE WITH DEPTH. CaCO3 = CALCIUM CARBONATE
REALLY OLD! OLD PRESENT DAY

DECAYING VEGETATION LIGNITE COAL

FORMS PEAT

ORGANIC MATTER FORMS

ORGANIC RICH SEDIMENTS KEROGENS OIL & GAS

HYDROCARBON FORMATION
 CARBON IN PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
VENUS EARTH MARS
PLANET

OXYGEN ARGON
ARGON (1.6%)
COMPOSITION
ATMOSPHERIC

SULPHUR NITROGEN CARBON (0.9%) (0.13%)

DIOXIDE (3.5%) DIOXIDE NITROGEN
(0.02%) (0.04%) OXYGEN (2.7%)
(20.9%)
CARBON DIOXIDE NITROGEN CARBON DIOXIDE
(96.5%) (78.1%) (95.3%)
TRACE AMOUNTS OF: TRACE AMOUNTS OF: TRACE AMOUNTS OF:
Ar, He, CO, H2O, HCl, HF Ne, He, CH4 CO
TEMPERATURE
& PRESSURE
SURFACE

92.1 atm 1 atm 0.006atm

462°C 14°C -63°C

WHY IS VENUS SO HOT?

EARTH AND VENUS ARE SIMILAR SIZED PLANETS AND WHILST VENUS IS CLOSER TO THE SUN, ITS THICK CLOUD COVER REFLECTS MOST OF THE SUNLIGHT THAT
HITS IT. VENUS’S ATMOSPHERE HOWEVER IS 96.5% CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) AND IT IS MUCH DENSER THAN EARTH’S. THIS AMOUNT OF CO2 CREATES A STRONG
GREENHOUSE EFFECT, RAISING VENUS’S SURFACE TEMPERATURE TO AROUND 462 °C, HOTTER THAN ANY OTHER PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
CARBON & THE TOTAL INFRARED
RADIATION EMITTED
TO SPACE 240 Wm-2
GREENHOUSE EFFECT CLOUDS EMIT
INFRARED RADIATION
SOLAR RADIATION SOLAR RADIATION GHGs IN
(LIGHT) 340 Wm-2 ABSORBED BY ATMOSPHERE
ATMOSPHERE ABSORB & RE-EMIT
INFRARED
RADIATION
EARTH EMITS
INFRARED RADIATION
(HEAT)*
SOLAR RADIATION
SOLAR RADIATION

GREE
ABSORBED BY

CO 2 4
REFLECTED BY LAND & OCEAN * INFRARED RADIATION
ATMOSPHERE, CLOUDS

NHOUSE
EMITTED BACK DOWN TO

C
& SURFACE 100 Wm-2 SURFACE

H
EARTH AVERAGE
SURFACE TEMPERATURE INCREASED GHGs CAUSED BY

GASES (G
N
HUMAN ACTIVITIES TRAP

O
-18°C MORE INFRARED RADIATION
15°C

2
WITH GHGs WITHOUT & WARM THE PLANET

H
GHGs

H G
O
s )
* The Earth intercepts solar radiation as a 2D disc but radiates infrared radiation in all directions as a 3D sphere Data: NASA Earth Observatory
 100
420 90
90.5±0.8 mm 2019
80
400 70
72.5±0.8 mm 2015

60 53.8±0.8 mm 2010
380 50
40 38.8±0.8 mm 2005
360 30 23±0.8 mm 2000
20
340 10
11.7±0.8 mm 1995
0 1993
320
300
280
1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
GRAPHITE
FORMATION T I N E N T AL
CON ST
1 SUBDUCTION & REGIONAL CRU
METAMORPHISM OF CARBON- 2
RICH SEDIMENTARY ROCKS COAL SEAM
AT E ROCKS
A RBO OCEANIC CRUST
N
C
2 CONTACT METAMORPHISM WITH MA N T LE
1 R MOS T
COAL SEAM 3 PP
E
O SP H E RE

U
3 IGNEOUS ROCKS ASSOCIATED H EN
WITH METAMORPHOSED AST
GRAPHITE-BEARING
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

STRUCTURE LAYER OF FUSED

PROPERTIES USES
BENZENE RINGS HIGH MELTING POINT ANODE IN LITHIUM
COVALENT CONDUCTOR PENCILS ION BATTERIES
BOND
OF HEAT & ELECTRICITY
LUBRICANT LUBRICANT
VAN DER
WAALS BOND OPAQUE REFRACTORY
CARBON ATOM SOFT APPLICATIONS GRAPHENE SHEETS
e.g. CRUCIBLE
 3

2
1 2
3

COVALENT CARBON
BOND ATOM
1
 O H
H H H H
O
O O C H
- H C C C C H H
O O H C
H H H H
H C O
H
H H H H
C H C C
O H O H
H C C O H O
C C
H H
H O H O H
- 6 ELECTRONS C O H C C H
C C C N
+ 6 PROTONS C
-
H
C C - C C
O O
6 NEUTRONS C H N O

H
H
H O
H
N C C
H O
R