1. The Carbon Cycle

2. What About Carbon? It can be a gas It can be a liquid
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CH4)
It can be a liquid
Gasoline (C8H18)
It can be a solid
Rocks (CO3)
It is present in all organic material and materials made from once living things
It is also found in inorganic material such as rocks

3. Carbon and the Four Spheres
Carbon is present in all four spheres
Atmosphere - Air
Biosphere - Life
Hydrosphere - Water
Lithosphere - Land

4. Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide enters the atmosphere by:
Humans and animals breathing out (Bio)
Fires (Bio)
Volcanic eruptions (Litho)
Exchanges with ocean water (Hydro)
Burning fossil fuels (Bio)
Rocks reacting with chemicals (Geo)

5. Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide leaves the atmosphere by:
Photosynthesis by plants (Bio)
Photosynthesis of phytoplankton, or tiny water plants (Bio)
Dissolved by sea water (Hydro)

6. Biosphere Carbon Dioxide enters the biosphere by:
Photosynthesis of plants (Atm)
Photosynthesis of phytoplankton, or tiny water plants (Atm)
Animals eating plants and phytoplankton (Bio)

7. Biosphere Carbon Dioxide AND Methane leaves the biosphere by:
Decomposition of plants and animals (Atm)
Respiration (breathing out) (Atm)

8. Hydrosphere Carbon Dioxide enters the hydrosphere by:
Dissolved by sea waves (Atm)
Decomposition of plants and animals (Bio)

9. Hydrosphere Carbon Dioxide leaves the hydrosphere by:
Carbon compounds are exchanged (Atm) (geo)

10. Lithosphere Carbon Dioxide enters the lithosphere by:
Formation of fossil fuels (Bio)
Formation of Rocks like limestone (Hydro)

11. Lithosphere Carbon Dioxide leaves the lithosphere by:
Burning of fossil fuels (Atm)
Volcanic Eruption (Atm)

12. Brainstorm: List some places that carbon is stored.
What processes cause carbon to move from on reservoir to the other.
Use this information to fill out the concept map on the next slide

13. Atmosphere Geosphere Biosphere Hydrosphere
The Carbon Cycle Among Spheres List examples under each sphere, and make an arrow for processes.
Atmosphere
Geosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere

14. Answer Key Atmosphere Geosphere Biosphere Hydrosphere
Humans and animals breathing
Fire
Photosynthesis
of plants
Burning of fossil fuels
* Soot deposition onto
Volcanic
Dissolved
rock from dirty
Decomposition of
eruptions
eruptions
power plants
Photosynthesis
plants and animals
Burning of
of phytoplankton
fossil fuels
or tiny water
plants
Formation of fossil fuels
Geosphere
Biosphere
* Formation of shells/coral
* Humans drink soda
* Deposition of
sediment
Released
from ocean
* Minerals dissolving
water
into water supply
Decomposition of
Carbon
plants and
compounds
animals
are broken
down
Hydrosphere