Carbon Cycle MT 8

Carbon cycle Atmosphere Burning Photosynthesis Respiration Plants Industry & Vehicles Animals Decomposition Pumping Fossil Fuels Organic Material

What is the Carbon Cycle? The different processes that are involved in transferring Carbon throughout different parts of the Earth system including the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere (ocean), humans, plants, and animals. Here is a simplified explanation of the Cycle Cycles of the Earth

Part of all living things (and some non-living stuff) Carbon What is Carbon

Key Words- Photosynthesis, Respiration, Combustion

Important Terms Photosynthesis: The use of light energy to convert Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into energy-rich glucose molecules and Oxygen (O2).   Respiration: is to completely release the Energy found in the Carbon-Hydrogen bonds of sugars; when a living organism uses stored energy (carbs), breathes out, and releases CO2 Carbon Cycle: The movement of carbon, in its many forms, between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and geosphere Reservoir: a storage pool for a particular substance; in this case a basin/storage pool that houses carbon Biomass: Anything that is alive or was alive even for a short time, trees, crops, garbage etc. Fossil Fuel: organic matter that was once living is buried, and over time, decomposes to form deposits of the carbon-containing fuels coal and oil.

Carbon is stored on our planet in the following major pools:

In the Biosphere (place where people, animals, plants live) as organic molecules in living and dead organisms

In the Atmosphere as the gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere

In the Lithosphere as organic (living) matter in soils as inorganic (non-living) matter, like fossil fuels & sedimentary rock deposits such as limestone, dolomite and chalk Organic Inorganic

In the Hydrosphere (oceans) as dissolved atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 that came from the atmosphere) as calcium carbonate shells in marine organisms Dissolved CO2 Ocean Sediments

Ok, so how does all of this go together?

The Carbon Cycle goes through the following Important Processes Photosynthesis Photosynthesis will use light energy & H2O & CO2 to make Sugar & O2 Respiration will use Sugar to make energy (ATP) & CO2 Respiration

The Carbon Cycle goes through the following Important Processes Decomposition Organic materials (contain C) dying & becoming Fossil Fuels (contain C) Combustion Burning Fossil Fuels to make CO2 Volcanic Eruptions to make CO2

How does Carbon Enter & Leave the Atmosphere? Carbon (as CO2) leaves through Photosynthesis Carbon (as CO2) enters through Respiration Combustion Weathering

So, let’s put it all together: Copy the following & Complete the following sentences: Carbon is part of all living things, and some non-living things too. As a gas, plants need carbon and we need plants. The carbon cycle explains the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and back to the atmosphere. First, carbon starts as ________________ _____________ gas in the _______________. Plants take in ________, _______________, and ____________ during _________________and make ___________ and ____________. \ Animals and people breathe in the ____________ during respiration and breathe out _______________ putting carbon back in the atmosphere. Carbon stays in the ________________ when animals eat _____________ and take in ______________ making animals have more ____________. Carbon stays part of living things until they die. The dead organism ________________ and can turn into ______________ in the _______________. We pump the fossil fuels into our vehicles and factories where _________________ happens and puts ______________ back into the ___________________ by burning. Carbon also gets put back into the _____________ through _________________.

Global Carbon Cycle Carbon is exchanged between the active pools due to various processes – photosynthesis and respiration between the land and the atmosphere, and diffusion between the ocean and the atmosphere.