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Figure 12 shows the global movement of carbon into or out of the atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 10 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 10
Figure 12 shows the global movement of carbon into or out of the atmosphere. | process | movement of carbon into or out of the atmosphere in gigat... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Figure 12 shows the global movement of carbon into or out of the atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 10 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Calculate total carbon added to the atmosphere
Answer
First, we need to identify the processes that add carbon to the atmosphere: photosynthesis and combustion of fossil fuels. We will sum their contributions:
- Photosynthesis: 120.1 gigatonnes
- Combustion of fossil fuels: 6.4 gigatonnes
Total added to atmosphere = 120.1 + 6.4 = 126.5 gigatonnes.
Step 2
Calculate total carbon removed from the atmosphere
Answer
Next, we identify the processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere: respiration, ocean uptake, and ocean loss:
- Respiration: 119.6 gigatonnes
- Ocean uptake: 92.8 gigatonnes
- Ocean loss: 90.0 gigatonnes
Total removed from atmosphere = 119.6 + 92.8 + 90.0 = 302.4 gigatonnes.
Step 3
Calculate net carbon added to the atmosphere
Answer
Finally, we calculate the net carbon added to the atmosphere using the formula:
Net carbon added = Total added - Total removed
Net carbon added = 126.5 - 302.4 = -175.9 gigatonnes.
This indicates that there is a net loss of 175.9 gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year.