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Environmental Science The Carbon Cycle Game Name ______________________________ Objective: Students will model the movement of carbon through different reservoirs. Students will relate the processes of photosynthesis and respiration to biogeochemical cycling. Engage: Carbon exists in the Earth's atmosphere primarily as the gas carbon dioxide. Although it is a very small part of the atmosphere overall, making up only 0.04%, it plays an important role in supporting life. The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. The cycle is usually thought of as four major reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of exchange. The reservoirs are the atmosphere, the terrestrial biosphere (which usually includes freshwater systems and non-living organic material, such as soil carbon), the oceans (which includes dissolved carbon and marine organisms), and the sediments (which includes fossil fuels). The movements of carbon between reservoirs occur because of various chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. The ocean contains the largest active pool of carbon near the surface of the Earth, but the deep ocean part of this pool does not rapidly exchange with the atmosphere. Adapted from http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/etc/guide-carboncycle.php 1. What is one important role carbon plays in supporting life on Earth? 2. What is a reservoir and what is its function in the carbon cycle? 3. Describe two of the processes that move carbon from one reservoir to another? Explore: You will begin your journey as an individual carbon atom moving through the carbon cycle. Review the rules below before beginning your journey. 1. Begin by adding a bead from your starting reservoir to your string. This will help you keep up with your journey as you move to different reservoirs throughout the cycle. 2. Roll the die and read the information carefully about the process that will move you to your next reservoir. 3. Move to the next station as instructed by the die. If the die tells you to stay in your same reservoir for another turn, add another bead to your string before rolling the die again. 4. Repeat steps 1-3 to move through the carbon cycle. You should continue through the cycle until you have a total of 10 beads on your string. Explain: 1. Decode your string by drawing arrows to represent your movement as a carbon atom through the cycle in the diagram on the next page. Number each arrow according the order you moved through the cycle. 2. Label the processes that moved you from one reservoir to the next. (If you moved between two reservoirs more than once you only have to label the process once.) 3. Compare your carbon journey with another student’s. Describe how they are alike and how they are different. 4. Describe a part of the carbon cycle where carbon is cycled quickly between two reservoirs, and identify the process that moves the carbon. 5. Which reservoir have long residence time? Why do you think this is? Extend: 6. Describe how human activity has affected the carbon cycle. Spain Park High School, Hoover, Alabama 2016 Atmosphere Freshwater Land Plants Land Consumers Surface Ocean Ocean Plants Ocean Consumers Deep Ocean Dissolved Deep Ocean Particles Ocean Sediment Evaluate: Design a model that shows the cycling of carbon between all the reservoirs. Include the processes that move the carbon through each pathway. Spain Park High School, Hoover, Alabama 2016