The Carbon Cycle

1. The Carbon Cycle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzImo8kSXiU

2. The Carbon Cycle • Carbon is an essential element for life on earth. • It is found in the atmosphere, the water, the soil, and in living things. • Places where carbon is found are called carbon reservoirs. • Carbon takes many forms and moves from one reservoir to another in a series of biological and chemical processes known as the carbon cycle.

4. Atmosphere • Carbon is found in the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) • CO2 disperses the suns energy keeping the atmosphere warm • Originally most of the CO2in the atmosphere was released from volcanoes • Today, most of the CO2in our atmosphere is released by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas)

5. Plants • Many of the molecules that make up plant cells contain carbon • Plants take CO2from the atmosphere in a process called photosynthesis • 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy --> C6H12O6 + 6O2 • CO2 , water, and sunlight are used to make glucose (sugar) and oxygen

6. Animals • Many of the molecules that make up animal cells contain carbon • Animals obtain carbon by eating plants and other animals • animals produce carbon dioxide in a process called cellular respiration • C6H12O6 + 6O2 -->6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy • Glucose and oxygen are used by the body to makeCO2, water, and energy

7. Oceans • CO2 is absorbed at the ocean’s surface and used by photosynthetic algae • Carbon moves up the food chain when small animals eat algae and larger animals eat smaller animals • When animals die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, carbon is brought down to the deep ocean

8. Soil • Carbon enters soil when plants an animals die and are broken down by insects, bacteria, and fungi in the soil • Some CO2 is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis • Some CO2 turns into fossil fuels over millions of years

9. Fossil Fuels • Carbon remains stored in fossil fuels until the fuels are burned for energy • Burning fossil fuels in automobiles and electric generators releases CO2 into the atmosphere • Coal, oil, and natural gas are all examples of fossil fuels • They form out of the buried remains of plants and animals over millions of years