Question

Francine is developing a model of the carbon cycle, which involves the movement of carbon among various Earth systems. She begins by drawing the diagram shown below. In addition to the movement of carbon through Earth’s systems, Francine also wants her model to show how much carbon is stored in reservoirs or sinks. Which of these aspects of the carbon cycle could she add to her model to start building a more quantitative model?

Answer 1

To make Francine's carbon cycle model more quantitative, she should include data reflecting the amounts of carbon stored in different reservoirs such as the atmosphere, oceans, and sediments, as well as carbon flux rates.

Step-by-step explanation:

Quantifying the Carbon Cycle:

To build a more quantitative model of the carbon cycle, Francine can add data to represent how much carbon is stored in various reservoirs or sinks. This includes numerical information on carbon quantities in the atmosphere, oceans, ocean sediment, soil, land sediments (including fossil fuels), and the Earth's interior. By adding these details, her model would better reflect the scale of these reservoirs and the dynamics of carbon storage and release. Additionally, integrating carbon flux rates between these reservoirs can enhance the model's accuracy, depicting how carbon moves from one store to another over time.