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Introduction to Global Carbon Cycling: An Overview of the Global Carbon Cycle

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Carbon Sequestration for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Abstract

Carbon (C) is the essential attribute of life. Therefore, its cycling gives the overall index of health of the biosphere. Global C cycling involves the exchange of C between its four main reservoirs—the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans and sediments. Understanding the biogeochemical processes regulating the movement of C from one reservoir to another is central to control carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions and mitigating climate change. This introductory chapter presents an overview of the global C cycle. The atmospheric carbon burden—both CO2 and CH4 concentrations, has increased significantly since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in response to anthropogenic perturbations of the global C cycle. The major sources of the increase in atmospheric C content are the utilization of fossil fuels for energy, cement production, land use conversion and deforestation. Fossil fuel and cement production released 410 ± 20 Pg C between 1750 and 2015. Similarly, land use change released 190 ± 65 Pg C over the same period. The atmospheric C burden increased by 260 ± 5 Pg between 1750 and 2015. The consequences of changes in global C cycling extend beyond the global warming associated changes in radiation balance caused by increased concentration of trace gases. It causes changes in atmospheric photochemistry, disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems as well as marine chemistry and ecosystems. In the following chapters these effects will be discussed in much more details.

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  1. Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    David A.N. Ussiri & Rattan Lal

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Ussiri, D.A., Lal, R. (2017). Introduction to Global Carbon Cycling: An Overview of the Global Carbon Cycle. In: Carbon Sequestration for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53845-7_3

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