Carbon sequestration definition7/30/2023 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recommended that artificial methods of carbon sequestration are required to limit global warming to under 1.5✬ with this recommendation and the increased focus on trapping CO2 due to its role in climate change, this is a quickly growing field. Technological sequestration refers to the artificial processes in which carbon and carbon dioxide are trapped and stored. This process is foundational for the formation of fossil fuels and is used as a part of enhanced oil recovery.ģ. Geological sequestration refers to the process by which carbon and carbon dioxide are stored in geological formations. Biological sequestration refers to the storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, wood, and aquatic ecosystems.Ģ. There are three types of carbon sequestration: biological, geological, and technological.ġ. This term is commonly associated with the capture and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Reservoirs that emit more carbon than they absorb are net carbon sources and reservoirs that absorb more than they emit are net carbon sinks.Ĭarbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is captured and stored. Each reservoir has different processes that emit and absorb carbon, such as photosynthesis which absorbs carbon and decomposition of matter which releases it. Simplified global carbon cycle diagram provided by NOAA. Examples of carbon sinks include photosynthesizing plants and plankton, and the ocean.įigure 1. Just as carbon sources are worldwide, so are carbon sinks, and understanding how they work and how they are changing is important in predicting the impacts of climate change. While the impact that plastic-sourced carbon has not been completely quantified, recent research is slowly defining the scope of the carbon footprint of plastics.Ĭarbon sinks are natural or artificial reservoirs that absorb and store carbon through the process of carbon sequestration. However, as plastic degrades it releases carbon into soils, water, and the atmosphere. Plastics, microplastics in particular, are not only produced from fossil fuels (therefore sourced from carbon themselves) but are large, artificial producers of carbon that are commonly not considered when calculating environmental carbon pollution. These sources are worldwide, though some may be larger producers than others.Īnother increasingly prevalent source of carbon is plastics. For example, the burning of fossil fuels, forest fires, animal respiration, and plant degradation are all sources of carbon. 5 More Information and Additional ResourcesĬarbon sources are any natural or artificial production site of carbon and/or any chemical compounds composed of carbon, such as carbon dioxide and methane.
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