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The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.

Bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.

The Calvin Benson Cycle

The Calvin Benson Cycle

Ribulose 1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) is a critical enzyme that catalyzes carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis. However, it is an inefficient enzyme, having an extremely slow catalytic rate. A typical enzyme can process about a thousand molecules per second; however, RuBisCo fixes only around three-carbon dioxides per second. Photosynthetic cells compensate for this slow rate by synthesizing very high amounts of RuBisCo, making it the most abundant single...

Primary Production

Primary Production

The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.

C4 Pathway and CAM

C4 Pathway and CAM

Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...

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Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Plastic Paradox in Blue Carbon Ecosystems.

Md Abu Noman¹, Tanveer M Adyel^1,2, Stacey Trevathan-Tackett¹

¹Centre for Marine Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia.

Environmental Science & Technology

|February 27, 2024

Summary

Plastic accumulation in blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves may divert waste from oceans. Research explores potential benefits and harms to carbon sequestration and sediment health, proposing a framework for assessment.

Keywords:

biogeochemistry blue carbon ecosystem microbial community plastic pollution sediment

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Marine Biology
Ecosystem Ecology

Background:

Blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses) are crucial for carbon sequestration.
These vital ecosystems are increasingly impacted by plastic pollution, with unknown consequences.
Plastic accumulation may alter carbon storage and sediment biogeochemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the potential positive and negative impacts of plastic accumulation in blue carbon ecosystems.
To assess how plastics affect organic carbon stocks and microbial metabolism in sediments.
To propose a research framework for evaluating these impacts using life cycle assessment.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of existing research on plastic impacts.
Exploration of effects on sediment biogeochemistry and microbial processes.
Proposal of an environmental life cycle impact assessment framework.

Main Results:

Plastic accumulation presents both potential risks and controversial benefits for blue carbon ecosystems.
Impacts on organic carbon stocks and sediment biogeochemistry are significant but poorly understood.
Plastic diversion to these ecosystems might be a "lesser of evils" compared to oceanic pollution.

Conclusions:

Further research is needed to fully understand and quantify the impacts of plastic on blue carbon ecosystems.
Expanding and managing these ecosystems could offer co-benefits for conservation and plastic mitigation.
A comprehensive life cycle assessment framework is proposed to guide future research and policy.