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Atmospheric carbon is exchanged quickly between the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere. This means that at times the atmosphere acts as a sink, and at other times as a source of carbon. [2] The following section introduces exchanges between the atmospheric and other components of the global carbon cycle.
The largest and one of the fastest growing human impacts on the carbon cycle and biosphere is the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, which directly transfer carbon from the geosphere into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is also produced and released during the calcination of limestone for clinker production. [115]
In Earth's atmosphere, carbon dioxide is a trace gas that plays an integral part in the greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, photosynthesis and oceanic carbon cycle. It is one of three main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of Earth. The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2) in the atmosphere reached 427 ppm (0.04%) in 2024. [1]
The carbonate-silicate cycle is the primary control on carbon dioxide levels over long timescales. [3] It can be seen as a branch of the carbon cycle, which also includes the organic carbon cycle, in which biological processes convert carbon dioxide and water into organic matter and oxygen via photosynthesis. [5]
In most of the electromagnetic spectrum, atmospheric carbon dioxide either blocks the radiation emitted from the ground almost completely, or is almost transparent, so that increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, e.g. doubling the amount, will have negligible effects. However, in some narrow parts of the spectrum this is not ...
The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle that is important in maintaining life on Earth over a long time span. The cycle includes carbon sequestration and carbon sinks . [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Plate tectonics are needed for life over a long time span, and carbon-based life is important in the plate tectonics process. [ 6 ]
E T = cumulative carbon dioxide emissions (Tt C) ΔC A = change in atmospheric carbon (Tt C) and, 1Tt C = 3.7 Tt CO 2. TCRE can also be defined not in terms of temperature response to emitted carbon, but in terms of temperature response to the change in radiative forcing: [10] = / [10] where,
There are outstanding questions in carbon cycle science that satellite observations can help answer. The Earth system absorbs about half of all anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. [1] However, it is unclear exactly how this uptake is partitioned to different regions across the globe.