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sink science definition
- A part of the physical environment, or more generally any physical system, that absorbs some form of matter or energy. For example, a forest acts as a sink for carbon dioxide because it absorbs more of the gas in photosynthesis than it releases in respiration. Coral reefs are a long-lasting sink for carbon, which they sequester in their skeletons in the form of calcium carbonate.
- Geology a. See playa.b. See sinkhole.c. A circular depression on the flank of a volcano, caused by the collapse of a volcanic wall.
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