Exponential use of resources represents a "short-term" random catastrophe for ecosystems as this disrupts the natural resource cycles. The system can not recover on such a short timescale.

Cow

Carbon Cycle

Active Pools:

• Atmosphere: 58,000
• Ocean Surface Layers: 43,000
• Ocean Deep Layers: 2,900,000

• Land organisms: 38,000
• Decaying Organic Matter: 58,000
• Marine Organisms: 830
• Decaying Organic Matter Oceans: 250,000

Storage Pools:

As Carbonates:

• Carbonate sediments: 1,700,000,000

• Fossil Fuels: 830,000

• Atmosphere Ocean Surface: 7--8 years
• Ocean: Surface Depth: 1000 years
• Biological Fixation: 2100 per year (5 % of Terrestrial Organic Carbon)
• Fossil Fuel Combustion Addition: 420 per year
• Diagensis Return to Fossil Fuel Reservoir = 84 units per year

Active Pools:

As Organic Nitrogen:
• Land Organisms: 870
• Marine Organisms: 69
• Decaying Organic Matter: 120,000

As Inorganic Nitrogen
• Soils 10,000
• Ocean Sediments 7,100

In solution
• Atmosphere: 270,000,000
• Oceans: 1,400,000
As Rocks:
• crustal rocks: 1,000,000,000

EXCHANGES:
• Biological Fixation Land: 3.9 units per year
• Biological Fixation Ocean: 0.74 units per year
• Atmospheric Fixation: 0.55 units per year
• Denitrification: Land 1.6; Ocean 2.9
• Industrial Fixation 3.2 (fertilizer)

• Eutrophication: reduced oxygen in water; algae thrives, shellfish die

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