CTEC313: Environmental Analysis

Biogeochemical cycles: answers

1.
a) Yes, inflow flux of Na+ is equal to the outflow.
b) 1.25 t
c) 25g of Na+ /min
d) 5000 min (3.47 days)
2.
a) Yes. (Calculate the inflow and outflow between each
compartment / reservoirs).
F1= F2 + F5 = 111x103 km3
F4 = F3 + F5 = 425x103 km3
F1+F3 = F2+ F4 = 496x103 km3
b) 3223.5 yr
c) 0.0262 yr (9.6 days)
3.
a) 0.635 mg CO2/L of air
b) 2297 ppmv
nCO2 at the ground and at the given altitude are the same =
1.442 x 10-5 mol per litre of air, (or 14.42 per 106 L air). What
changes is the molar volume, Vm, of the gas. Using PV = nRT, you
get Vm = 159.29 mol/L at the given altitude. Thus at that
altitude, VCO2 = 159.29 mol/L x 1.442 x 10-5 mol = 0.002297 L.
or 2297 L CO2/ per 106 L air = 2297 ppmv
c) 0.635 mg CO2/L of air

4.
a) sediments
b)
(i) 5.12 yr
(ii) 12.2 yr
(iii) 7 yr
(iv) 123.8 yr
(v) 4.5x108 yr

c) CO2 flux into the atmosphere, anthropogenic activities (e.g. power

 generation and automobile emissions, domestic burning).

d) Hawaii Islands, Observatory laboratory (Keeling’s Lab) is located

there and it measures the steady state concentration of CO2 gas in
the atmosphere on a daily basis. Observed increase in the steady
state concentration of CO2 may mean global increase in emissions
into the atmosphere (Lab is located way from possible sources of
emissions and thus results are free from localized variations)

5.
a)

Reservoir Amount in Rate of flux into Rate of flux out Residence Rank
reservoir reservoir of reservoir time (1=longest
(Gt C) (Gt C/y) (Gt C/y) (years) time)

Atmosphere 750 157.1 153.8 4.82 4

Veg, Soils and 2190

61.6 61.8 35.5 3
Detr

Surface Ocean 1020 232 231.6 4.4 5

Marine biota 3 50 50 0.06 6

Dissolved <700
6 6 116 2
organic C

Int. & Deep 38100

100.2 101.6 377.6 1
Ocean

b) System almost at steady state, because the total in flow and out flow
fluxes between all compartments are almost equal.
c) Marine biota (low assimilation due to low body weight)
d) Long term storage- the residence time of the element in that
reservoir is very long (35 yr).
e) Adsorption on the surface of the colloid, settling as sediment and
eventually into sedimentary bed rocks.