Carbon Source

Any substance or action which releases carbon into the atmosphere. Deforestation, which involves the cutting down of trees thereby removing a valuable carbon sink, and the burning of vegetation as part of this process and then conversion of the land for agricultural purposes is a source of carbon emissions. The burning of crops and stubble, along with animal farming are also carbon sources. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil emits vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere (being the major contributor to human produced carbon emissions), whilst natural sources of carbon include volcanic eruptions and natural wildfires (although these are very minor contributors to global emissions), which might be started by lightning strikes in very dry forest or grassland areas. Carbon is also added to the atmosphere by other natural processes which include animal and plant respiration as well as soil micro-organism activity, along with plant and animal decomposition. The release of dissolved carbon dioxide from the oceans when it interacts with the air at the surface of the ocean is possibly the largest contributor global natural carbon emissions.