2023-07-17 22:26:07
The term “petrogenic carbon” can also be used to describe the carbon found in chemical compounds derived from petroleum, such as hydrocarbons. (University of Aberystwyth) Glaciers erode rocks and transport them to the fjords. These rocks, especially sedimentary rocks, often contain carbon. It was thought until now that this carbon was not used by organisms and that it was buried with the sediments at the bottom of the fjords, without any significant effect on the carbon balance of the seas and the atmosphere.
The latest research results from a team of international scientists indicate, however, that microbes living in the sediments at the bottom of the fjords can use the so-called “petrogenic” carbon, thus reintegrating it into the biological cycle of the element. The research took place in the Arctic on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago,
Note that petrogenic carbon generally refers to carbon that is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) during the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas.
New findings from researchers at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland, on the carbon cycle in nature were recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The scientific analyzes in question were carried out using sediment cores taken from the bottom of the Norwegian Hornsund fjord. The researchers used sediment cores dated using the 137Cs and 210Pb isotopes, as well as a full range of studies of the different forms of carbon, its compounds and its isotopic composition.
Several origins with “petrogenic” carbon
The researchers explain that when fuels are burned, the carbon they contain reacts with the oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide emissions from the use of fossil fuels contribute to global warming and increased greenhouse effect.
It is important to point out that the term “petrogenic” carbon can also be used to describe the carbon present in chemical compounds derived from petroleum, such as hydrocarbons. These compounds can be used in various industrial applications, including as raw materials in the production of plastics and other chemicals.
In summary, petrogenic carbon refers to the carbon released into the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels and can also refer to the carbon found in petroleum-derived compounds.
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