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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

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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 gi... 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 the total mass of carbon entering the atmosphere

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Answer

The processes that add carbon to the atmosphere are photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion of fossil fuels. We calculate the total:

extTotalentering=extphotosynthesis+extrespiration+extcombustionoffossilfuels ext{Total entering} = ext{photosynthesis} + ext{respiration} + ext{combustion of fossil fuels}

Substituting the values:
extTotalentering=120.1+119.6+6.4=246.1extgigatonnes/yearext{Total entering} = 120.1 + 119.6 + 6.4 = 246.1 ext{ gigatonnes/year}

Step 2

Calculate the total mass of carbon leaving the atmosphere

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Answer

The processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere are ocean uptake and ocean loss. We calculate the total:

extTotalleaving=extoceanuptake−extoceanloss ext{Total leaving} = ext{ocean uptake} - ext{ocean loss}

Substituting the values:
extTotalleaving=92.8−90.0=2.8extgigatonnes/yearext{Total leaving} = 92.8 - 90.0 = 2.8 ext{ gigatonnes/year}

Step 3

Calculate the net mass of carbon added to the atmosphere

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Answer

Finally, we find the net mass of carbon added by subtracting the total leaving from the total entering:

extNetmass=extTotalentering−extTotalleaving ext{Net mass} = ext{Total entering} - ext{Total leaving}

Substituting the values:
extNetmass=246.1−2.8=243.3extgigatonnes/yearext{Net mass} = 246.1 - 2.8 = 243.3 ext{ gigatonnes/year}

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