Carbon Cycle

By: Arianna, Caroline, Carly, and Haley

Most Common Chemical Forms of Carbon

Proteins and carbohydrates

Most Common Chemical Forms of Carbon

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Most Common Chemical Forms of Carbon

Sedimentary rocks- calcium carbonate (CaCO3) ex. limestone

Most Common Chemical Forms of Carbon

Carbonate-dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2

3-)

Most Common Chemical Forms of Carbon

Bicarbonate-dissolved carbon from decay (HCO3-) ex.

baking soda

How are these chemical forms created?

● Carbohydrates- product of photosynthesis (C6H12O6)

● CO2- product of cellular respiration● Carbonate-formed in aquatic carbon cycle

between organisms and CO2 dissolved in water● Bicarbonate-dissolved from decay processes● Calcium Carbonate- exists naturally in

sedimentary rocks

how is this nutrient used by living organisms?

● Plants, algae, and certain bacteria remove carbon from the air and incorporate it into chemical compounds during photosynthesis

● These food-making organisms need carbon to create carbohydrates (essential for growth)

● Other living organisms, such as animals, need carbohydrates for energy but cannot create it on their own

● to obtain carbohydrates, herbivores eat green plants and break down the carbohydrates into useful substances and carnivores eat herbivorescarbohydrates

(sugars): act as source of energy

is carbon part of a particular macromolecule necessary for life?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

CARBOHYDRATES

LIPIDS

PROTEINS

DNA

How have humans altered the cycling of carbon?

● Human activities include:● industrial society uses energy● acquired by:● burning of fossil fuels( coal, oil, natural gas)● combustion of wood● burning of tropical forests

These activities cause:● carbon to reach the atmosphere

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Human impact on the Carbon Cycle( cont.)

● CO2 global climate change● Global climate change -rise in sea level, changes in precipitation patterns,increase in wildfires, flooding, drought, heat waves, extinctions, agricultural changes● caused by/effects human population

How can we reduce the human impact on the carbon cycle?

Recycle

Limit industrial use

Limit use of electricity

use environmentally friendly vehicles

Does Carbon Cycle Travel Through the Atmosphere? YES!!!!

● Respiration and combustion (burning fossil fuels)

● Photosynthesis ● Cellular Respiration● Occurs in the

atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere

● Air, soil, ocean● Food chain● Takes form of CO2

Carbon Cycle Through the Atmosphere

Carbon Cycle Through the Atmosphere

LITHOSPHERE● Carbon occurs in the

lithosphere in○ fossil form (natural gas,

oil, coal)○ sedimentary

rocks(limestone, dolomite● The amount of carbon in the

lithosphere: 66 to 100 million gigatons (a gigaton is one million metric tons)

Carbon Cycle Through the AtmosphereHYDROSPHERE

Phytoplankton turns carbon into organic matter

● CO2 dissolves in the ocean to form hydrogen carbonate ions (HCO3

-)● When some water is

evaporated, the CO2 is released back into the atmosphere

● Some aquatic organisms use carbon as a key ingredient for their shells and skeletons

Carbon Cycle Through the Atmosphere

SHELLS AND SKELETONS

Carbon Cycle Through the Atmosphere

GLOBAL

SCALE

Where is Carbon Cycle Naturally Fastest?

ATMOSPHERE!!

● F A S T E S T because during photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight to create fuel—glucose and other sugars—for building plant structures

Where is the Carbon cycle naturally the slowest?

THE LITHOSPHERE!

99.9% of carbon is tied up in carbonate rocks (found in lithosphere)SO..... this is the slowest