ENV100H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Carbon Sink, Water Cycle, Cryosphere

• School: UTSG
• Department: School of Environment
• Course: ENV100H1
• Professor: Barbara Murck

Document Summary

Nutrients and other materials move in biogeochemical cycles. Nutrient cycles/biogeochemical cycle: processes involved are biological, geological and chemical, nutrients in our bodies spread widely through the physical environment and are incorporated to x number of organisms in the biosphere far into the future. Reservoir pool where nutrients or other materials are kept: virtually all materials move from reservoir to reservoir through biogeochemical cycles. Residence time how long nutrients and other materials stay in a reservoir: many things are reservoirs for carbon. Flux the movement of materials among reservoirs: rates (mass or volume of material per unit of time) Sources reservoirs that release more nutrients (or any other material of interest) than they accept. Sinks reservoirs that accept more nutrients than they release: carbon sinks important since today we struggle to lower rate at which carbon released into the atmosphere. How quickly fresh water comes into lake and how quickly mercury water leaves it.