Which statement accurately compares the carbon content of the oceans to that of the atmosphere?
The oceans act as a much larger reservoir of carbon than the atmosphere.
In the carbon cycle, carbon is stored in different reservoirs such as the atmosphere, oceans, living things, soil and rocks. The oceans hold carbon mainly as dissolved carbon dioxide, carbonate and bicarbonate ions, and in marine organisms.
The oceans contain roughly fifty times as much carbon as the atmosphere, because carbon dioxide dissolves readily in sea water and is stored in deep waters. So the oceans are a much larger carbon reservoir than the atmosphere and help to absorb excess carbon dioxide from the air.
Since the oceans hold far more carbon than the atmosphere, it is incorrect to say that they store only a minor share of carbon, that the two store equal amounts, or that the atmosphere is the larger reservoir.
Hence, The oceans act as a much larger reservoir of carbon than the atmosphere.
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