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Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack · Model answer

Explain the concept of micro carbon sink and its relevance.

  • UPSC 2017
  • Oceanography

A micro carbon sink refers to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide achieved by microscopic marine organisms — phytoplankton (diatoms, dinoflagellates, coccolithophores), picoplankton/cyanobacteria, and heterotrophic bacterioplankton — as distinct from the "macro" or vegetated blue carbon sinks such as mangroves, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes.

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack.

What the full answer covers

  • Defining the Micro Carbon Sink — Agents and Scale
  • The Biological–Microbial Carbon Pump — Mechanism
  • Micro versus Macro Carbon Sinks — Points of Contrast
  • Relevance of the Micro Carbon Sink

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