Download The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle
Presented by:
Shannon Mar
Iliana Swick
Chris Butler
Helia Ansari
Carbon
• Carbon is the major chemical
constituent of the majority of
organic matter
• It is in:
–Fossil Fuels
–DNA
–RNA
What is Organic Matter?
• Organic matter: is matter that has
come from a once-living organism;
is capable of decay, or the product
of decay; or is composed of
organic compounds.
How is it stored?
•
•
•
•
As organic molecules
As the gas carbon dioxide
As organic matter
As fossil fuels and sedimentary
rocks
• As dissolved atmospheric carbon
dioxide and calcium carbonated
shells
The Cycle Itself
• Carbon Dioxide is
absorbed by several
autotrophs and used to
help them grow.
• Autotroph: organism that
uses solar energy to
manufacture the organic
compounds it needs as
nutrients from simple
inorganic compounds
obtained from its
environment
The Cycle Continued…
• Photosynthesis incorporates
the carbon atoms from carbon
dioxide into sugars
• Photosynthesis: Complex
process that takes place in
cells of green plants. Radiant
energy from the sun is used
to combine carbon dioxide,
and water to produce oxygen,
carbohydrates, and other
nutrient molecules
The Cycle
Continued…
• Primary consumers
eat the plants and use
the carbon to build
their own tissues
• Secondary
consumers eat the
primary consumers
and use the carbon
for their own needs
The Cycle continued…
• The carbon is returned into the
environment when the animals breathe
and dies, since carbon is returned to the
soil during
decomposition
• The carbon atoms
in the soil are used
for new plants
• And repeat
Carbon cycle in the Ocean
• Enters water through
diffusion
• Converted into carbonate
• Combined with Calcium
to make calcium carbonate
• Change to sedimentary rocks
• Diffusion: to spread though out from
an area of higher concentration to an
area of lower concentration
Carbon Levels
• Over the last billions of years the quantity has been
steadily decreasing in the atmosphere
• Higher levels help
regulate the Earth’s
Temperature
• Due to the greater
concentration of
carbon dioxide the
greenhouse effect
has been enhanced
Carbon in the
lithosphere
• 2 categories: organic and inorganic
• Organic: litter, organic matter, human
substances in soils
• Inorganic: fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural
gas), carbonated in sedimentary deposits
like limestone
• Carbon dioxide can be released from the
lithosphere by volcanoes
• Carbon has greatly increased since the
Industrial Revolution
• Atmospheric levels have increased over
30%, from 275 ppm to 365 ppm
The Importance of Carbon in the
Carbon Cycle: Biological
• Carbon (C) is the fourth most abundant
element in the Universe
• It’s the element that anchors all organic
substances such as fossil fuels, fats,
proteins, carbohydrates, and DNA
The Importance of Carbon in the
Carbon Cycle: Ecological
• The carbon cycle is based on
carbon dioxide gas, which makes
up .038% of the volume of the
troposphere and is also dissolved
in water.
Continued…
• If the carbon cycle removes
too much carbon dioxide
form the atmosphere, the
atmosphere will cool. If it
generates too much carbon
dioxide it will warm.
• Human activites have
increased the amount of
carbon dioxide release into
the atmosphere contributing
to global warming.
Amounts of Carbon
• The amount of carbon in the lithosphere:
66 to 100 million gigatons.
• Amount of carbon in the hydrosphere:
38,000 to 40,000 gigatons.
• Amount of carbon in the biosphere: 540
to 610 gigatons.
• The amount of carbon in the atmosphere
has increased from 578 gigatons to about
766 gigatons.
Works Citied
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/CarbonC
ycle/carbon_cycle4.html: 09/23/08
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/CarbonC
ycle/carbon_cycle.html: 09/23/08
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G23408600217.html: 09/22/08
• http://www.lenntech.com/carbon-cycle.htm:
09/22/08
• http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ctec/Carbon/carboncycl
e.htm: 09/23/08