Carbon Cycle

The steps in the carbon cycle weave daily solar energy with seasonal and perennial photosynthesis of plants, converting water and CO2 into sugars and giving off oxygen; respiration, in turn, converts the glucose(sugar) into energy for the plant’s cells to grow and thrive. The carbon cycle constantly exchanges carbon from the Earth’s biosphere (living matter) with the air in the atmosphere, living materials in the hydrosphere (waters), and the carbon in the soil and rock sediments of the geosphere. Could you diagram the carbon cycle moving through Earth’s spheres? Upload your carbon cycle diagram to the gallery!

You can DOWNLOAD the NEXT.cc Carbon Cycle Worksheet if you would prefer.

Carbon, the giver of life, moves through all locations of life - Earth’s atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere. Starting with photosynthesis, plants take in the Sun’s energy, carbon dioxide from the air, and water. They combine carbon dioxide with hydrogen and oxygen from water to create sugar molecules for power in a process called respiration. Animals that eat plants digest the sugar molecules to get energy for their bodies. Respiration, excretion, and decomposition release and exchange the carbon back into the atmosphere and soil, continuing the cycle. Near-surface carbon attempts to balance Earth’s climate and the temperature of our atmosphere. Both the Slow Carbon Cycle and the Fast Carbon Cycle contribute to the movement of carbon throughout all locations of life. Look at NEXT.cc’s Earth Energy Balance. Diagram the Sun’s energy coming into the atmosphere and the Earth’s carbon response to balance the temperature.

On land, our oldest ancestors, rocks, contain carbon. Millions of years ago, plants and animals began to store carbon in their decaying and decayed biomass. Rivers wash over the stones, weathering the rocks’ surface and removing calcium ions. The faithful rivers carry these ions into the oceans. They react with the carbonate dissolved in water, creating calcium carbonate. This mixture slowly sifts to the bottom of the ocean floor, where it hardens into limestone. This process is the slow carbon cycle and takes millions of years. The limestone sediment and its embedded carbon delivered by the rivers to the bottom of the oceans is yet unknown. Human production and consumption are the most significant contributors to the current increased carbon on Earth. Annual emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased from 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year in the 1960s to an estimated 36.6 billion tons a year according to the Global Carbon Budget 2022. Diagram the Slow Carbon Cycle and label the key components.

The four seasons are the drivers of the fast carbon cycle. The spring and summer months of the Northern Hemisphere show the reduction of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere due to plant growth drinking in carbon and dispersing oxygen on both land and water. During the fall and winter, the decomposition of plants returns carbon dioxide into the air. The seasons challenge the presence of near-surface carbon attempts to balance Earth’s climate and the temperature of our atmosphere. Watch the Carbon Change through the seasons. Draw a map of the Earth showing vegetation growth on land and in water in spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Draw it filling back up with carbon in the fall and winter months.

Carbon cycles through various forms in nature as part of all organic compounds. Carbon dioxide, or (CO2), is in the air and dissolved in water. Plant producers like algae in the oceans and green plants on the continents process carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and convert it into carbohydrates. Producers metabolize carbohydrates as energy, storing any excess as fats and polysaccharides. Consumer organisms, from people to protozoans, convert them into other forms. CO2 is added directly to the atmosphere by animals, and other organisms contribute CO2 to the atmosphere through respiration. Bacteria and Fungi decay carbon in the bodies of all organisms, releasing more CO2. Make a carbon chain diagram of reactions across all life forms.

Water covers almost 75% of the Earth. This water in the oceans holds 50% more carbon than the atmosphere. The sun’s heat drives the temperature of the oceans’ hypothermal currents, first on the surface, then mid-depth, and finally in the deepest part of the ocean. The heat from the sun moves the ocean currents and drives Earth’s climate. Carbon is exchanged between the atmosphere and the ocean’s surface waters daily. Plant life in the oceans in the form of minute diatoms, phytoplankton, algae, and seaweed photosynthesize and produce 80% of the world’s oxygen. The increase in carbon release and production is altering the temperature of the Earth’s great oceans and the water cycles, causing more intense weather and coastal flooding with storm surges. Watch the Sun as the Driver of Climate and diagram the ocean currents in sections from the surface to the depths.

Over billions of years, nature’s lifecycle created fossil fuels of coal, oil, petroleum, and stones like limestone and coral. Ancient civilizations lived lighter on the land than today. Today, stored carbon is released when humans extract and use it. Power plants combust fossil fuels, cars burn petroleum and gasoline, and engines quickly and constantly release carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution, ocean acidification, carbon dioxide release in agriculture and industry, and temperature rise. The IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls to control carbon release to reach the 2030 goal of only a 1.5% temperature increase. Take this Carbon footprint quiz. Look at how to cut your carbon footprint in your house, your food, your clothes, your energy use, and your transportation. List five things you can do to reduce your family’s carbon footprint.

The world is changing. The fast carbon exchanges over a few years are polluting with the combustion of forests, the burning of fossil fuels, the driving of gasoline-powered vehicles, and the rising carbon footprint of wealthier countries. As a result, air pollution is on the rise, drought is increasing, and temperatures are rising. On the other hand, the slow carbon cycle that takes millions of years to complete is disappearing. Since the Industrial Revolution, people burned so much fuel and produced so much carbon dioxide into the air that the global climate has risen over one degree Fahrenheit. In 150 years, people have accrued the most carbon in the atmosphere that it has had in 420,000 years. Higher temperatures and carbon release increase greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, significantly impacting global warming. So, what can you do to change the future? It starts with you. Look over The Environment Excuse review of your food, home, goods you purchase annually, and travel. Could you list changes you will make to reduce your carbon footprint? Upload them to the gallery