The following lifetimes may be distinguished: ►
Turnover time (T)(also called global atmospheric lifetime) is the ratio of the mass M of a reservoir (e.g., a gaseous compound in the atmosphere) and the total rate of removal S from the reservoir: T = M / S. For each removal process, separate turnover times can be
Turnover time (T)(also called global atmospheric lifetime) is the ratio of the mass M of a
reservoir (e.g., a gaseous compound in the atmosphere) and the total rate of removal S from the
reservoir: T = M / S. For each removal process, separate
turnover times can be
turnover times can be defined.
Reservoir turnover times (a measure of how long the carbon stays in the
reservoir) range from a few years for the atmosphere to decades to millennia for the major carbon
reservoirs of the land vegetation and soil and the various domains in the ocean.