Carbon sink facts for kids

A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that stores carbon-containing chemical compounds for a long period. Carbon sinks absorb more carbon than they release.

A forest, ocean, or other natural environments produce surplus carbon. Carbon sinks are very important in our environment. They can be natural or man-made. Soil, ocean, forest and the atmosphere all store carbon and this carbon moves in a continuous cycle. The largest carbon sinks become swamps, bogs, and eventually coal measures.

In the regular carbon cycle, CO₂ comes from the atmosphere and then is taken by plants and uses it in the process of photosynthesis.

Images for kids

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  This diagram of the fast carbon cycle shows the movement of carbon between land, atmosphere, soil and oceans in billions of tons of carbon per year. Yellow numbers are natural fluxes, red are human contributions in billions of tons of carbon per year. White numbers indicate stored carbon.

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  Mjøstårnet, one of the tallest timber buildings, at its opening 2019

See also

In Spanish: Sumidero de carbono para niños