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Physical Process

The Carbon Cycle

Biogeochemical and Pedological Processes

The carbon cycle is the exchange of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, land and living things, running through a fast biological pathway that can complete within years and a slow geological pathway that can take millions of years. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Process Type
Climatic 1
The live process-type vocabulary has no dedicated biogeochemical-cycle value; climatic is the nearest fit, since the carbon cycle governs the climate system the way the existing climatic-tagged desertification process does. Flagged as a vocabulary gap in the wave report rather than reworked here.
Timescale
Fast biological cycling completes within years; slow geological cycling, moving carbon through rock, soil, ocean and atmosphere, can take millions of years. 1
Connections

Associated With

Causes

Demonstrated By

Source Amazon Basin (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Carbon Cycle (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead
    Fast cycles can complete within years, moving substances from atmosphere to biosphere, then back to the atmosphere.
  • Body
    Slow or geological cycles (also called deep carbon cycle) can take millions of years to complete, moving substances through the Earth's crust between rocks, soil, ocean and atmosphere.
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Amazon Basin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDemonstrated By: The Amazon Basin, Climate change section
Quote, Demonstrated By: The Amazon Basin, Climate change section
In a typical year, the Amazon absorbs 1.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide; during 2005 instead 5 gigatons were released.
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