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Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle. 2012-2013. Carbon. Carbon is an element. It is part of oceans, air, rocks, soil and all living things. Carbon doesn’t stay in one place. It is always on the move!. C. Importance of Carbon. Building block for life Forms fossil fuels

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Carbon Cycle

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  1. Carbon Cycle 2012-2013

  2. Carbon • Carbon is an element. It is part of oceans, air, rocks, soil and all living things. Carbon doesn’t stay in one place. It is always on the move! C

  3. Importance of Carbon • Building block for life • Forms fossil fuels • Is used in complex molecules, such as DNA and RNA, to control genetic reproduction in organisms. • RNA: to read the genetic information found in DNA and to produce specific organic molecules used in the development and functioning of cells. It is a copy of a portion of DNA. • DNA: Coding for genetics and direct the development and functioning of cells.

  4. Carbon Cycle geos.ed.ac.uk

  5. Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants. • In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). With the help of the Sun, through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air to make plant food from carbon. • Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen • 6 CO2+ 6 H2O → C6H12O6+ 6 O2

  6. How Carbon moves • Plants to animals • Food chain: producers to consumers • Plants and Animals to ground (Soil) • Died and then decompose • Some gets buried miles underground and turns into fossil fuels in millions and millions of years.

  7. Continue on how Carbon moves • Living things to atmosphere • Respiration: animal and plants get rid of CO2 by exhaling • Humans to the atmosphere • Burning fossil fuels • From factories, power plants, cars and trucks • Each year 5 ½ billion tons of C is released…equals 100 million adult African elephants! • Of the total amount released 3.3 billion tons enters the atmosphere and the rest becomes dissolved in seawater.

  8. Carbon in the Atmosphere • Greenhouse effect: “ the warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when CO2, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and reradiate infrared radiation (Holt, pg. 558).” • CO2 is a greenhouse gas and helps to trap heat in the atmosphere. • Too much = hot?

  9. Carbon Cycle Question • We enjoy the taste of an apple because it is sweet. From where did the apple tree get the carbon to make sugar? • A. air • B. water • C. soil • D. nitrate fertilizer

  10. Carbon Cycle Question • The most abundant element in a wooden stick is carbon. Where did the carbon come from? • A. water • B. air • C. soil • D. fertilizer

  11. Carbon Cycle Question • Where do animals get the carbon found in their bodies? • A. from the air • B. from eating food • C. from the soil • D. from vitamins and minerals

  12. Carbon Cycle Question • For millions of years the carbon cycle has been in balance. Climatologists are concerned because data indicates the amount of carbon in the air is increasing. Which theory best explains this loss of atmospheric balance? • A. CFAs have created a hole in the ozone. • B. Society has increased the burning of fossil fuels. • C. Environmentalists have increased the size of rain forests. • D. Our society has recognized the danger of nuclear fission.

  13. Carbon Cycle Question • If the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases due to human activities, what do scientists predict will be the result? • A. increased cases of sunburn • B. warmer temperatures • C. increased incidence of earthquakes • D. more snowfall in the winter

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