| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 19M.1.SL.TZ0.10 |
| Level | Standard Level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 0 |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | 10 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Figure 6: Carbon storage in different ecosystems
Some ecosystems are very effective at absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing this carbon either within their living biomass or in the soil below ground.
With reference to Figure 6, outline the effectiveness of mangroves and tropical rainforests in the mitigation of climate change.
Markscheme
mangroves/tropical rainforest mitigate climate change/reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by absorbing CO2;
mangroves sequester/remove a greater amount of CO2 (per unit area) than the other ecosystems/tropical forest / mangroves are more efficient at storing carbon than tropical forests / mangroves are more effective carbon sinks than tropical forests;
tropical forest hold more carbon in their living biomass / mangroves hold more carbon in the soil;
both tropical rainforest and mangroves store the highest amount of CO2 within their living biomass for their own ecosystem category;
mangroves hold approximately 1500 metric ton carbon per hectare / tropical forest hold approx 230 metric ton carbon per hectare;
tropical forests may remove less CO2 per unit area but occupy a far greater area globally / mangroves remove more CO2 per unit area but occupy less area globally;
Accept quantification without units.
[2 max]
Examiners report
This question was fairly well answered by most candidates who were able to successfully interpret the data given.
