Carbon Cycle
The Carbon Cycle is a complex wayall of the carbon atoms in existence move in an endless cycle.
The same carbon atoms in your body today have been used in countless other molecules since time began.
Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle is the great natural recycler of carbon atoms.
All living things are made of carbon.Carbon is part of the ocean, air, and even rocks.
Ultimately, the same carbon atom can move through many organisms and even end in the same place where it began. Herein, lies the fascination of the carbon cycle.
Plants will and animals will eventually die and be decomposed into the soil. The carbon atoms then become fertile soil for producers to grow from and the cycle begins again.
There is a set amount of carbon in the air. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores show us that there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years.
Humans have burned fossil fuels, made devices that release carbon dioxide into the air --aerosol cans, coke machines, etc.. This has upset the natural balance. These fossil fuels are forming a thick blanket that does not allow enough heat to escape and the temperature is rising.
Unfortunately, the extent of its importance is rarely stressed enough. Without the proper functioning of the carbon cycle, every aspect of life could be changed dramatically.
Carbon Cycle
Every so often, a plant or animal does not decompose right away. Their bodies are trapped, in locations where decomposition can simply not take place. This is most common at the bottom of oceans and seas, where the life form becomes buried in sand.
Instead of returning to the atmosphere, the carbon from these life forms is trapped within the earth. More and more of the carbon on earth has been trapped in this manner. Today, almost 99% of all carbon on Earth has been locked up deep within the Earth.
Plants and animals that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas over millions of years.
Humans retrieve fossil fuels from the ground and use them in many ways. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores show us that there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years.
Unfortunately, the extent of its importance is rarely stressed enough. Without the proper functioning of the carbon cycle, every aspect of life could be changed dramatically.
rWhen plants and animals die, much of their carbon is returned to the atmosphere as the organisms decompose.
Every so often, a plant or animal does not decompose right away. Their bodies are trapped, in locations where decomposition can simply not take place. This is most common at the bottom of oceans and seas, where the life forms become buried by sand.
Instead of returning to the atmosphere, the carbon from these life forms is up deep within the Earth.
As rocks weather, this carbon is slowly released back into the atmosphere, creating a balance. For the past several hundred million years, the amount of carbon being locked up in the Earth, and the amount being released by weathering rocks was almost perfectly balanced.
This important balance has been altered significantly in the past century, as humans have