The Carbon Cycle:
- All living things are made of carbon
- Carbon is neither created nor destroyed, it only changes in location and form.
- The concentration of carbon in living matter is almost 100 times greater than carbon found in Earth.
- Carbon is the fourth most common element on Earth!
- Carbon mainly enters the biotic world through photosynthesis.
- Carbon is attached to oxygen in the atmosphere to become carbon dioxide.
- Photosynthesis occurs in plants when they use carbon dioxide and sunlight to create their own food and grow. (Left side of the picture)
- Carbon mainly returns to the atmosphere and water by:respiration, burning, and decay.
- The carbon is then stored in the plant, after it dies, the plant becomes fossil fuels. (Bottom part of picture)
- While the carbon is stored as a fossil/fossil fuel it could remain there for a long period of time- up to millions and millions of years!
- Humans burn the fossil fuels stored in the ground which quickly returns these carbon reservoirs back into the atmosphere. (Right side of picture)
- Animals also are a part of the carbon cycle. Their respiration releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. An animal gains carbon when eating plants/other organisms. When an animal dies, the dead organism and it's waste products go into the soil to become fossils/fossil fuels.
- The carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere is gradually increasing.
- Some human activities that might disrupt this cycle: increase of burning of fossil fuels which puts more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere / deforestation which doesn't allow for the absorption of carbon dioxide by trees
- The ocean plays a large role in the global carbon cycle. (bottom right)
- Carbon moves in and out of the ocean daily, but is stored there for thousands of years.
- Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in the surface waters of the ocean.
- Carbon moves from surface waters, to other organisms, and eventually some carbon reaches the bottom of the ocean.
A Video about the Carbon Cycle:
