Question

Based on your work in researching and describing your carbon pathways, does carbon move at faster (shorter) time scales through the Biosphere or through the Geosphere? Why do you think this is the case?

Answer 1

Carbon is exchanged through a biogeochemical cycle which includes Biosphere, Geosphere further divided into Biological and geological processes.

When we consider biological, organic components come into the picture. Biological processes such as Photosynthesis, respiration which take Carbon from atmospheric CO₂ or give out CO₂ are processes which takes a shorter period of time (in hours, days, or few years as a continuous process)

Geological processes are activated first by biological components. Geospheric Carbon movement takes millions of years. This can be studied from Fossil fuel formation. Peat leads to the formation of coal under the act metamorphism and reduced condition. Catagenesis and metagenesis lead to the formation of hydrocarbons natural gas and oil under the temperature up to 250-degree celsius in metagenesis processes. These processes take a lot of time (millions of years) as compared to biological processes in the biosphere.