Carbon is a crucial part of our world – it’s present in the air we breathe, the oceans that surround us, the food we consume and even in our very bodies. Some places are carbon sinks and other carbon sources, and together they allow this chemical element to flow through our world and keep its levels in balance.
Carbon sink – definition and role
Let’s start with the title of this piece and find the answer to the question of what is a carbon sink. To put it simply, it’s an area which absorbs more carbon than it releases back into the world. The leading examples of carbon sinks include forests, oceans and soil. As you may know, forests remove carbon from the air through the process of photosynthesis and give us back pure oxygen. However, the oceans are still the primary carbon sink. It is estimated they can absorb about half of the emissions of this chemical element. How? Through corals, plankton, sea algae and bacteria. Of course, there are some artificial carbon sinks too, as humans keep working on technologies that can absorb and capture CO2 from the air. How about carbon sources? They play the opposite role, which means they release more carbon into the atmosphere. Some carbon sources, such as volcanic eruptions or the process of decomposition, are natural, whereas others are man-made.
What is the carbon cycle?
It’s important to remember that both carbon sinks and sources are crucial to the overall balance of our atmosphere. Together they create a carbon cycle, which describes the everpresent ebb and flow of carbon between these areas. Usually, the carbon levels should stay in harmony – unfortunately, they are changing because of the human influence on our planet. Through our behaviour, we keep creating more carbon sources. Examples of these harmful activities include the use of fossil fuels, deforestation for agricultural purposes, and the pollution of the oceans with plastic, which causes sea algae and bacteria to eat the plastic instead of absorbing carbon. The disturbance caused to the carbon cycle means the overall amount of this chemical in the atmosphere keeps rising.
Also check out What is temperature inversion.