The process of providing storage for a substance. For example, plants--through photosynthesis--transform carbon dioxide in the air into organic matter, which either stays in the plants or is stored in the soils. The plants are a sink for carbon dioxide.
A sinkhole; or, an area with a demand for metabolic substances. For example, growing meristems are sinks for energy compounds from photosynthesis, mitochondria are oxygen sinks, and tropical rainforests or deep oceans may act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. [Go to source
refers to a region that takes up a greater amount of some substance than it releases. For instance, some ocean areas are carbon sinks, because they absorb more carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere than they release back to the atmosphere (compare source).
(technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system; "the ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide"
a component of the carbon cycle that stores more carbon than it emits to the atmosphere
a method by which a gas can be removed from the atmosphere
a place or process which removes or absorbs materials
a process which removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
a reservoir that uptakes a chemical element or compound from another part of its cycle
a way in which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere
Any process that removes a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. The major sinks are forests and other vegetation that, through photosynthesis, remove carbon dioxide. Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries, in their calculation of net greenhouse gas emissions, may deduct from their totals the removal of greenhouse gases through the expansion of sinks. That may help them to meet their mandatory emissions targets. However, calculating the effects of sinks is methodologically complex and the standards for doing so still need to be clarified.
a process that removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, either by destroying them through chemical processes or storing them in some other form. Carbon dioxide is often stored in ocean water, plants, or soils, from where it can be released at a later time. In this sense, oceans are a sink for carbon dioxide.
Gases and vapors absorbed onto surfaces such as carpet, drywall, etc, and can later be re-emitted.
A body or process that acts as a storage device or disposal mechanism; e.g., plants and the oceans act as sinks absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Also, a location in a plant where sugar is being consumed, either in metabolism or by conversion to starch.
an entity responsible for removing a substance from its reservoir
A long-time repository for a substance. Oceans are sinks for methyl bromide, for example.
is a scientific term for storage or removal of a substance. For example, plants, through photosynthesis, transform carbon dioxide from the air into organic matter which is then "stored" in the plant or in the soil. Plants are thus said to be sinks" for carbon. One of the key uncertainties regarding climate is that the quantity of carbon held in the various sinks and the rates of exchange between them are not well known.
means any process, activity or mechanism, which removes a greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
any part of an ecosystem that stores a nutrient or mineral; for example while growing a tree will store carbon (so it is a carbon sink, but will become a carbon source after it dies and releases that carbon back into the environment)
A natural reservoir that can receive energy, species, or materials without undergoing change. Opposite of "source" (see below).
A "sink" actively removes a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, such as a growing forest. A sink is distinct from a place where greenhouse gases can be stored ("sequestered"), such as an underground reservoir.
A place where material is removed or stored. For example, the oceans absorb about 50% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Scientists refer to the oceans as a carbon dioxide sink.
A route or reservoir by which a measurable quantity may exit a system, such as by accumulation (in a reservoir) or chemical conversion. Compare source.