A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period. The process by which carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration. Public awareness of the significance of CO2 sinks has grown since passage of the Kyoto Protocol, which promotes their use as a form of carbon offset.
The main natural sinks are:
- Absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans via physicochemical and biological processes
- Photosynthesis by terrestrial plants
Natural sinks are typically much larger than artificial sinks. The main artificial sinks are:
- Landfills
- Carbon capture and storage proposals
Carbon sources include:
- Fires (by combustion)
- Farmland (by animal respiration); there are proposals for improvements in farming practices to reverse this.
Read more about Carbon Sink: Kyoto Protocol, Artificial Sequestration, Trends in Sink Performance
Famous quotes containing the word sink:
“The population question is the real riddle of the sphinx, to which no political Oedipus has as yet found the answer. In view of the ravages of the terrible monster over-multiplication, all other riddle sink into insignificance.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)