Question 1

The movement of the Earth's crust, plate tectonics, contributes to the long-term carbon cycle through all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Plate tectonics does not directly contribute to photosynthesis, which is a biological process. Rather, photosynthesis is part of the short-term carbon cycle, in which carbon is cycled through living organisms and the atmosphere. Plate tectonics affects the long-term carbon cycle by releasing carbon from the Earth's interior through volcanic activity, and by recycling carbon back into the mantle through subduction and mountain lifting.

Question 2

The term that describes the movement of Earth's crust and includes the process of subduction is _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term that describes the movement of...

Question 3

Which of the following relationships BEST depicts the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, living organisms, and soil?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary rocks store the most carbon, primarily as carbonates and organic matter. Soil also contains significant carbon, mainly from decomposed organic material. The atmosphere and living organisms store less, with the atmosphere's carbon primarily in the form of CO2 and living organisms storing carbon in biomass.

Question 4

Because CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, a rise in CO₂ levels correlates with a(n):

Accepted Answer

CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, which means it traps heat in the atmosphere and can contribute to global warming. Therefore, a rise in CO₂ levels correlates with a rise in temperature. The other options are not directly related to greenhouse gases or their effects.

Question 5

Which of the following processes INCREASES the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Volcanic eruptions release CO2 into the atmosphere, and respiration by living organisms also releases CO2 as a byproduct.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding atmospheric CO₂ levels during the last 400,000 years?

Accepted Answer

The statement that atmospheric CO₂ levels fluctuate periodically, with the highest levels occurring during interglacial periods is true according to ice core data from the last 400,000 years.

Question 7

Recall that during the Paleozoic Era, atmospheric CO₂ levels decreased. Why?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthetic, woody plants first appeared during this period and would have led to a decrease in atmospheric CO2 levels.

Question 8

The long-term and short-term carbon cycles are connected by the fact that some of the carbon contained in C₆H₁₂O₆ (or other organic molecules) in plants is incorporated into sedimentary rocks or oil; it is not immediately reintroduced back into the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

This is because carbon incorporated into sedimentary rocks or oil can remain stored for millions of years, thus linking the short-term carbon cycle (in which carbon is rapidly exchanged between the atmosphere, oceans, and land) to the much slower but longer-term carbon cycle.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding chemical weathering?

Accepted Answer

Chemical weathering contributes to the accumulation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in oceans through a process called carbonation. As rainwater and groundwater dissolve carbon dioxide, they become acidic and can react with minerals in rocks such as calcium silicate (CaSiO3) to form calcium carbonate. This process removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the ocean as a sedimentary rock.

Question 10

When we think about the carbon cycle and human activities, it is important to differentiate between facts and hypotheses. Which of the following can be considered a fact?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When we think about the carbon cycle...

Question 11

Increased rate of photosynthesis is the most likely explanation as to why atmospheric CO₂ levels appear lowest during glacial periods of Earth's history.

Accepted Answer

During glacial periods, lower temperatures reduce the rate of photosynthesis, not increase it. The lower atmospheric CO2 levels are more likely due to increased oceanic uptake and changes in terrestrial biomass, rather than an increase in photosynthesis.

Question 12

Currently, atmospheric CO₂ levels are the highest they have ever been in Earth's 4.6-billion-year history.

Accepted Answer

Atmospheric CO2 levels have been higher in Earth's distant past, well before human history, during periods such as the Cambrian, Jurassic, and other geological epochs when they exceeded today's levels significantly.

Question 13

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which removes CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Chemical weathering of rocks and minerals on the Earth's surface removes COS from the atmosphere by incorporating it into dissolved bicarbonate ions, which then transport it to the oceans and ultimately form sedimentary rocks.

Question 14

Which of the following are NOT geological processes that drive the long-term carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthesis and respiration are part of the short-term carbon cycle, while the long-term carbon cycle is driven by geological processes such as volcanism, plate tectonics, subduction, and chemical weathering.

Question 15

Imagine that a researcher has discovered a 500-million-year-old leaf fossil from the Cambrian Period. He notices that the leaf had very few stomata compared to present-day leaves. What does this tell the researcher about atmospheric CO₂ levels during the Cambrian Period?

Accepted Answer

Stomata are small openings on the surfaces of leaves that allow for gas exchange, including the intake of carbon dioxide (CO2) for photosynthesis. A lower number of stomata suggests that the plant did not need to open as many portals to collect the necessary CO2, implying that atmospheric CO2 levels were higher, making it easier for plants to obtain CO2 for photosynthesis.

Question 16

Carbon is incorporated into the skeletons of corals and other marine organisms through the process of _____. The CaCO₃ making up these skeletons, in turn, becomes a major component of sedimentary rocks after these organisms die.

Accepted Answer

Carbon is incorporated into the skeletons of marine organisms through the process of biomineralization. The CaCO3 making up these skeletons becomes a major component of sedimentary rocks after the organisms die. Chemical weathering, subduction, and bacterial oxidation are not directly involved in this process. Inorganic mineralization is not a commonly used term in this context.

Question 17

How can scientists determine what atmospheric CO₂ levels were like hundreds or thousands of years ago?

Accepted Answer

Scientists can determine past atmospheric CO2 levels by examining ice core samples, which trap air bubbles from the past, and by analyzing the number of stomata in fossilized leaves, which vary with CO2 levels.

Question 18

The _____ cycle deals with geological processes and carbon reservoirs, some of which have been built up (or take place) over a period of millennia. In contrast, the _____ cycle involves biological processes that are carried out on a daily and/or seasonal basis.

Accepted Answer

The first blank must be filled with "long-term carbon" as geological processes and carbon reservoirs (such as fossil fuels) have been built up over a period of millennia. The second blank must be filled with "short-term carbon" as biological processes (such as photosynthesis and respiration) occur on a daily and/or seasonal basis. Therefore, the correct choice is B.

Question 19

The majority of carbon stored in reservoirs is in the form of:

Accepted Answer

The majority of carbon stored in reservoirs is in the form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is found in rocks and sediments, making option D the correct answer.

Question 20

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which introduces CO₂ back into the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Volcanism introduces CO₂ (carbonyl sulfide) into the atmosphere, which can eventually be converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) through chemical reactions with water vapor.

Quiz 25: Cycling Carbon

The movement of the Earth's crust, plate tectonics, contributes to the long-term carbon cycle through all of the following EXCEPT:

The term that describes the movement of Earth's crust and includes the process of subduction is _____.

Which of the following relationships BEST depicts the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, living organisms, and soil?

Because CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, a rise in CO₂ levels correlates with a(n) :

Which of the following processes INCREASES the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding atmospheric CO₂ levels during the last 400,000 years?

Recall that during the Paleozoic Era, atmospheric CO₂ levels decreased. Why?

The long-term and short-term carbon cycles are connected by the fact that some of the carbon contained in C₆H₁₂O₆ (or other organic molecules) in plants is incorporated into sedimentary rocks or oil; it is not immediately reintroduced back into the atmosphere.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding chemical weathering?

When we think about the carbon cycle and human activities, it is important to differentiate between facts and hypotheses. Which of the following can be considered a fact?

Increased rate of photosynthesis is the most likely explanation as to why atmospheric CO₂ levels appear lowest during glacial periods of Earth's history.

Currently, atmospheric CO₂ levels are the highest they have ever been in Earth's 4.6-billion-year history.

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which removes CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Which of the following are NOT geological processes that drive the long-term carbon cycle?

Imagine that a researcher has discovered a 500-million-year-old leaf fossil from the Cambrian Period. He notices that the leaf had very few stomata compared to present-day leaves. What does this tell the researcher about atmospheric CO₂ levels during the Cambrian Period?

Carbon is incorporated into the skeletons of corals and other marine organisms through the process of _____. The CaCO₃ making up these skeletons, in turn, becomes a major component of sedimentary rocks after these organisms die.

How can scientists determine what atmospheric CO₂ levels were like hundreds or thousands of years ago?

The _ cycle deals with geological processes and carbon reservoirs, some of which have been built up (or take place) over a period of millennia. In contrast, the _ cycle involves biological processes that are carried out on a daily and/or seasonal basis.

The majority of carbon stored in reservoirs is in the form of:

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which introduces CO₂ back into the atmosphere?

Quiz 25: Cycling Carbon

The movement of the Earth's crust, plate tectonics, contributes to the long-term carbon cycle through all of the following EXCEPT:

The term that describes the movement of Earth's crust and includes the process of subduction is _____.

Which of the following relationships BEST depicts the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, living organisms, and soil?

Because CO2 is a greenhouse gas, a rise in CO2 levels correlates with a(n) :

Which of the following processes INCREASES the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding atmospheric CO2 levels during the last 400,000 years?

Recall that during the Paleozoic Era, atmospheric CO2 levels decreased. Why?

The long-term and short-term carbon cycles are connected by the fact that some of the carbon contained in C6H12O6 (or other organic molecules) in plants is incorporated into sedimentary rocks or oil; it is not immediately reintroduced back into the atmosphere.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding chemical weathering?

When we think about the carbon cycle and human activities, it is important to differentiate between facts and hypotheses. Which of the following can be considered a fact?

Increased rate of photosynthesis is the most likely explanation as to why atmospheric CO2 levels appear lowest during glacial periods of Earth's history.

Currently, atmospheric CO2 levels are the highest they have ever been in Earth's 4.6-billion-year history.

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which removes CO2 from the atmosphere?

Which of the following are NOT geological processes that drive the long-term carbon cycle?

Imagine that a researcher has discovered a 500-million-year-old leaf fossil from the Cambrian Period. He notices that the leaf had very few stomata compared to present-day leaves. What does this tell the researcher about atmospheric CO2 levels during the Cambrian Period?

Carbon is incorporated into the skeletons of corals and other marine organisms through the process of _____. The CaCO3 making up these skeletons, in turn, becomes a major component of sedimentary rocks after these organisms die.

How can scientists determine what atmospheric CO2 levels were like hundreds or thousands of years ago?

The _____ cycle deals with geological processes and carbon reservoirs, some of which have been built up (or take place) over a period of millennia. In contrast, the _____ cycle involves biological processes that are carried out on a daily and/or seasonal basis.

The majority of carbon stored in reservoirs is in the form of:

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which introduces CO2 back into the atmosphere?

Because CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, a rise in CO₂ levels correlates with a(n) :

Which of the following processes INCREASES the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding atmospheric CO₂ levels during the last 400,000 years?

Recall that during the Paleozoic Era, atmospheric CO₂ levels decreased. Why?

The long-term and short-term carbon cycles are connected by the fact that some of the carbon contained in C₆H₁₂O₆ (or other organic molecules) in plants is incorporated into sedimentary rocks or oil; it is not immediately reintroduced back into the atmosphere.

Increased rate of photosynthesis is the most likely explanation as to why atmospheric CO₂ levels appear lowest during glacial periods of Earth's history.

Currently, atmospheric CO₂ levels are the highest they have ever been in Earth's 4.6-billion-year history.

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which removes CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Imagine that a researcher has discovered a 500-million-year-old leaf fossil from the Cambrian Period. He notices that the leaf had very few stomata compared to present-day leaves. What does this tell the researcher about atmospheric CO₂ levels during the Cambrian Period?

Carbon is incorporated into the skeletons of corals and other marine organisms through the process of _____. The CaCO₃ making up these skeletons, in turn, becomes a major component of sedimentary rocks after these organisms die.

How can scientists determine what atmospheric CO₂ levels were like hundreds or thousands of years ago?

The _ cycle deals with geological processes and carbon reservoirs, some of which have been built up (or take place) over a period of millennia. In contrast, the _ cycle involves biological processes that are carried out on a daily and/or seasonal basis.

Of the processes involved in the long-term carbon cycle, which introduces CO₂ back into the atmosphere?