1. Carbon Cycle
MT 8

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

3. 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

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

5. Key Words- Photosynthesis, Respiration, Combustion

6. 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.

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

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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Ok, so how does all of this go together?

13. 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

14. 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

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

16. 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 _________________.

17. 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.