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Grade: 9-12 Version 1 June 2016 Biomimicry: Engineering Inspired by Nature Investigate biological systems and design nature-inspired solutions to address changing environmental conditions www.seiinc.org Biomimicry Table of Contents Curriculum Introduction ............................................................................................................. 5! Setting the Stage .......................................................................................................................................................... 5! Activities .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5! Assignments .................................................................................................................................................................... 6! Handouts ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6! Extensions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6! Academic Content Standards ..................................................................................................... 7! Materials List ........................................................................................................................... 12! Biomimicry Pre & Post-Test ...................................................................................................... 16! Biomimicry Pre & Post-Test Answer Key ................................................................................. 18! Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth ......................................................................................... 20! Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 20! Preparations ............................................................................................................................................................... 21! Setting The Stage: Overview of Biomimicry Design Challenge ........................................................................ 22! Demonstration ............................................................................................................................................................. 22! Setting the Stage: Atmospheric Composition ........................................................................................................ 23! Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23! Setting the Stage: The Greenhouse Effect ............................................................................................................ 24! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 25! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 25! Setting the Stage: Carbon Cycle ............................................................................................................................ 25! Activity 1: Carbon Movement Through Reservoirs ............................................................................................... 28! Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28! Optional Activity: Carbon Footprinting ................................................................................................................. 29! Activity 2: Carbon’s Journey .................................................................................................................................... 30! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 31! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 31! Activity 2: Carbon’s Journey Continued ................................................................................................................ 31! Discussion: Climate change Causes, Consequences, & Opportunities .............................................................. 31! Activity 3: Historic Climate Trends .......................................................................................................................... 33! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 34! Optional Assignment: The Global Carbon Budget .............................................................................................. 34! Overview of the Biomimicry Project ....................................................................................................................... 35! Greenhouse Effect Experiment ................................................................................................................................ 39! Carbon Movement Through Reservoirs .................................................................................................................. 41! Measuring Your Carbon Footprint .......................................................................................................................... 42! Handout: Carbon’s Journey ..................................................................................................................................... 44! Carbon’s Journey: Teacher Key .............................................................................................................................. 47! Global Carbon Budget ............................................................................................................................................. 48! Lesson 2: Consequences of Climate Change ........................................................................... 49! Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 49! Preparations ............................................................................................................................................................... 50! Setting the Stage: Climate Change Impacts ......................................................................................................... 51! Activity 1: Strength of the Evidence ....................................................................................................................... 55! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 56! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 57! Optional Setting the Stage: Temperature and Coral Bleaching ...................................................................... 57! Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 2 Biomimicry Optional Activity: Modeling..................................................................................................................................... 58! Optional Activity: Albedo Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 58! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 59! Setting the Stage: Mitigation & Adaptation ........................................................................................................ 59! Discussion: Mitigation and Adaptation................................................................................................................... 60! Activity 2: Adaptive Housing Challenge ............................................................................................................... 60! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 62! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 63! Strength of the Evidence Graphs ............................................................................................................................ 64! Strength of the Evidence Data Organizer ............................................................................................................ 69! Climate and Ice .......................................................................................................................................................... 71! Ice Mapping ................................................................................................................................................................ 72! Surface Temperatures ............................................................................................................................................... 73! Ocean Temperatures ................................................................................................................................................ 74! Albedo Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................... 75! Adaptive Housing Challenge ................................................................................................................................... 77! Lesson 3: Surviving Changing Conditions ............................................................................... 79! Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 79! Preparations ............................................................................................................................................................... 80! Setting the Stage: Earth’s History ........................................................................................................................... 80! Activity 1: Earth’s Eras Timeline ............................................................................................................................... 82! Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 83! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 83! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 83! Setting the Stage: Species Adaptation ................................................................................................................. 83! Activity 2: Species Investigation .............................................................................................................................. 87! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 87! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 88! Setting the Stage: Humans and the Environment ................................................................................................. 88! Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 88! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 89! Activity 3: The Human Time Scale ........................................................................................................................... 89! The Sixth Extinction .................................................................................................................................................... 90! The Sixth Extinction: Teacher Key............................................................................................................................ 91! Exploring the World Around Us .............................................................................................................................. 92! Lesson 4: Biomimicry............................................................................................................... 93! Key Words .................................................................................................................................................................. 93! Preparations ............................................................................................................................................................... 94! Setting the Stage: Biomimicry .................................................................................................................................. 95! Discussion: Biomimicry ................................................................................................................................................ 96! Activity 1: Samara Seed .......................................................................................................................................... 96! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 97! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 97! Activity 2: Engineering Solutions Using Biomimicry .............................................................................................. 97! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 98! Assignment ................................................................................................................................................................... 98! Setting the Stage: Design Process .......................................................................................................................... 99! Activity 3: Solutions Inspired By Nature .............................................................................................................. 100! Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................. 100! Setting the Stage: Biomimicry Design Capstone Overview ............................................................................. 100! Optional Extension: Biomimicry Global Design Challenge .............................................................................. 101! Activity 4: Biomimicry Design Capstone Project ................................................................................................. 101! Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 3 Biomimicry Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................. 103! Samara Seed............................................................................................................................................................ 104! The Shark’s Paintbrush ............................................................................................................................................. 105! The Shark’s Paintbrush: Teacher Key .................................................................................................................... 111! Engineering Solutions Using Biomimicry Cards ................................................................................................... 112! Solutions Inspired by Nature ................................................................................................................................. 117! Solutions Inspired by Nature Teacher Key ......................................................................................................... 119! Ask Nature ................................................................................................................................................................ 120! Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 4 Background: Biomimicry Biomimicry: Looking to Nature for a Solution Lessons 1 & 2: Human Impacts to Earth with an Emphasis on Climate Change When engineers were looking for a way to eliminate the sonic boom caused by high-speed bullet trains exiting the station, they looked at the aerodynamics of the Kingfisher bird’s beak. Engineers redesigned the front of the train to mimic the bird’s beak, eliminating the sonic boom. Perhaps the most famous example of using nature as a source of inspiration is Velcro, which came from one man’s observation of burrs sticking to his dog’s fur. Other designers have looked at whirlpools to understand how fluids can travel in the path of least resistance and applied that knowledge to fan blades and propellers to increase their efficiency. The possibilities of using nature as a source for inspiration are endless, but it requires awareness and an eye for inspiration to understand the design prototypes seen in nature. Biomimicry challenges us to design solutions using nature as a guide. Though it may not look like it from daily observations, conditions for life on earth are changing faster than ever. One of the most significant and widespread causes of changing conditions for life on Earth is climate change. The major atmospheric elements, nitrogen and oxygen, have remained roughly the same in our recent past, but carbon dioxide levels have been steadily rising. Recent carbon dioxide emissions are abnormally high compared to natural trends, indicating humans are a leading cause for the increase in CO2 concentrations. The burning of fossil fuels (gas, oil, etc.) and deforestation are causing an increase in atmospheric carbon concentrations. More carbon is emitted into the atmosphere than ever before and fewer trees are alive to absorb it. This has led to an increase in the impacts of the Greenhouse Effect. Greenhouse gases such as CO2 absorb solar radiation, and when the atmosphere has more greenhouse gases, it absorbs more radiation and becomes warmer. This increase in the amount of heat in the atmosphere causes climate change. The impacts of climate change are global, but the magnitude of these impacts varies locally. An increase in extreme weather events may cause one region to experience more precipitation and more hurricanes but another region to experience less precipitation and more droughts. Some impacts such as the melting of glaciers have global impacts including raising global sea level and putting low-lying ecosystems at risk. In this project students will design an innovation inspired by nature to address changing conditions in our habitat, planet Earth. The first three lessons contextualize the need for biomimetic designs by introducing human impacts on Earth (Lesson 1), the consequences of climate change for the natural world (Lesson 2), and how species have adapted to survive in their environments (Lesson 3). Finally, students apply what they have learned in a biomimicry design project (Lesson 4). Climate change is the root of many challenges we face today from severe droughts to sea level rise, but humans are facing many other challenges. Lessons 1 & 2 focus on the causes and consequences of climate change, but students may choose to create solutions for any challenge humans face for their final project. Humans are impacting the earth in other ways like the waste that is polluting our lands and oceans, threatening ecosystems and destroying the natural beauty of our world. We are facing the challenge of sustainably providing food, water, and electricity to our ever-growing population. Fortunately, we can look to nature to find ways to adapt, mitigate, and innovate to solve these problems. Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 14 Background: Biomimicry Lesson 3: Surviving Changing Conditions Designing, testing prototypes, and perfecting an idea takes a lot of time. With the fast pace of climate change and other problems humans face, our time to create new solutions is very limited. Nature on the other hand has been designing, testing, and perfecting solutions for billions of years. Lesson 3 discusses both the perseverance and vulnerability of species in relation to Earth’s long history. Students will study the major eras in Earth’s history, gaining perspective on the natural ebb and flow of global changes over time. Understanding the eras of Earth also gives insight into how fast human impacts are occurring. An emphasis will be placed on the five major extinctions—some of which are linked to rapid changes in climate—to demonstrate the fragility and impermanence of a seemingly stable natural world. This will allow students to explore the concepts of species adaptation, mitigation, and innovation in response to environmental change, specifically climate change. Lesson 3 also discusses the evolutionary process, summarizing how populations of species can develop new traits over long periods of time. Students can use evolutionary changes in species and learned habits species have adopted as a source of inspiration for their design. Even though we are changing our environment faster than ever, we can draw from species’ long history of perfecting design to find solutions. Lesson 4: Biomimicry Design Challenge Nature specializes in adapting to changing conditions, evidenced by billions of years of evolution. Biomimicry is a technique that observes how nature finds solutions and applies that knowledge toward improving our own human products and processes. Designing solutions using biomimicry is a different way of thinking about designing sustainable, long-term solutions. Lesson 4 includes the capstone project of this curriculum. Students will use biomimicry and the design process to create a solution to a challenge humans face. Students will work in groups and may choose to address a cause or consequence of climate change they learned in Lessons 1 & 2 or they may choose a problem they feel passionate about addressing. They will use the design process to create a prototype and model of their solution and end the project with an evaluation of their design. Three options are available for instructional time for the capstone. Option 1: Provide students with 1-2, 45-minute class periods to research and propose a solution to the problem they have identified. If you choose this option, you may want to limit the options for the problem that the students select by selecting a specific problem. Option 2: Allow 3-6, 45-minute class periods for students to research and design a biomimetic solution. Design projects can be in the form of a physical model, poster, advertisement, short film, or research paper. After presenting their solutions, students will engage in a peer review process, followed by a final design revision and improvement stage. Interdisciplinary Creative Writing Option If time allows, you may which to collaborate with an English teacher to explore biomimicry through creative writing. Addressing the causes and consequences of climate change physiologically is not feasible, but the idea presents a challenge in creative thinking. Students could expand on their solutions to think of physical adaptations humans would need to survive if that problem isn’t solved. The novel Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut is a story about how the last humans on earth adapted to live in an infertile, disease ridden world. With support from the English teacher, students can read Galápagos and write a creative story about their physiological adaptations. The unit also includes excerpts from Jay Harmon’s biomimicry design book Shark’s Paintbrush, but students could read the entire text in an English class. Additional Resources "! Biomimicry 3.8: http://biomimicry.net/ "! Biomimicry Institute: http://biomimicry.org/ "! Biomimicry Challenge: http://challenge.biomimicry.org/ Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 15 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth Lesson 1 Overview Estimated Time 135 minutes (three 45-minute periods) Standards NGSS: HS-ESS2-4, HS-ESS2-6, HS-ESS3-5, HSESS3-6 CC Math: N-Q-1 ELA: Reading for Informational Text 7; Reading for Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects 3, 4, 7, 9; Speaking & Listening 1a,c, 2; Language 1, 2, 6, Writing for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science & Technical Subjects 10 CTE: Agriculture & Natural Resources E1.5, Engineering & Architecture, D4.0, D4.4, Energy, Environment & Utilities, A2.0, A2.2-2.6 Objectives: Students will be able to: •! Understand the impacts of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere •! Explain the stages of the carbon cycle •! Demonstrate an understanding of the causes & consequences of climate change •! Optional: Analyze what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint •! Understand Earth’s systems and relationships between them Prep Time •! 1 hour Handouts •! 1.1 Overview of the Biomimicry Project •! 1.2: Greenhouse Effect Experiment •! 1.3: Carbon Movement Through Reservoirs •! 1.4: Measuring Your Carbon Footprint (Optional) •! 1.5: Carbon’s Journey •! 1.6: Global Carbon Budget (Optional) Materials •! Equipment to show videos •! PowerPoint presentation and projector •! Internet access •! Handouts •! Alka-Seltzer tablets, two thermometers, funnel, watch, four cups of water Humans are impacting the conditions for life on Earth in many ways, for example, clearing forest for farmland, damming rivers, and paving over soil communities to build infrastructure. In Lessons 1 and 2, students will focus on the wide-spread and rapid changes brought about by climate change, however students can address any number of changing conditions in their biomimicry design project in Lesson 4. KEY WORDS Climate: The average weather in a region over a relatively long period of time. Weather is measured over a shorter time period, such as one day or week Climate Change: A significant change in the measures of climate. This includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, etc. Greenhouse Gases: Gases in the atmosphere that can trap infrared heat radiation coming from Earth. Common greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide Greenhouse Effect: The warming effect caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs) trapping infrared radiation in the atmosphere. The naturally occurring Greenhouse Effect is vital to maintaining a hospitable climate for life on Earth, but swelling concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere from human activity are intensifying the Greenhouse Effect, leading to rapidly rising global temperatures Carbon: A versatile chemical element found in many substances like diamond, coal, and all organic matter Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 20 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth Carbon Cycle: The combined processes, including photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration, and combustion by which carbon is cycled between its major reservoirs - the atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms Carbon Footprint: The amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere by the activities such as driving or generating electricity Radiation: The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves. Shortwave radiation is emitted by the sun and longwave radiation is emitted from the Earth Anthropogenic: Caused by or originating from human activity. The term is typically used to distinguish properties and implications of the natural environment from that of the man-made environment. PREPARATIONS "! Review materials on carbon cycle, greenhouse gas effect, and climate change. A projector and Internet are required to show the PowerPoint presentation, instructional videos, and online simulations. Review videos and online simulations prior the lesson. Reserve a computer lab for the second day of the lesson for students to use during Activity 2 and Activity 3. "! Gather required materials for greenhouse effect demonstration. See Materials List at the beginning of the unit for material cost and ordering information. "! Print the following handouts: #! 1.1 Overview of the Biomimicry Project – one per student #! 1.2 Greenhouse Effect Experiment – one per student #! 1.3 Carbon Movement Through Reservoirs – one per student #! 1.4 Measuring Your Carbon Footprint – one per student (optional) #! 1.5 Carbon’s Journey – one per student #! 1.6 Global Carbon Budget – one per student (optional) "! Review the PowerPoint associated with this unit. "! Recommended Daily Lesson Breakdown "! Day 1: Greenhouse Gases and Greenhouse Effect #! Overview of Biomimicry Design Challenge #! Greenhouse Effect Demonstration #! Atmospheric Composition Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 21 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth #! Discussion & Demonstration Conclusion #! Greenhouse Effect "! Day 2: Carbon Cycle #! Carbon Cycle #! Carbon Movement Through Reservoirs Activity #! Carbon’s Journey Activity "! Optional Day: Carbon Footprint "! Day 3: Climate Trends and Opportunities #! Carbon Cycle Activity (continued) #! Climate Change Causes, Consequences, & Opportunities #! Historic Climate Trends SETTING THE STAGE: OVERVIEW OF BIOMIMICRY DESIGN CHALLENGE "! Distribute the handout Overview of the Biomimicry Project and review the first page with the class. Students will work on the handout throughout the unit. It is designed to help students draw connections between climate change, species adaptations, and biomimicry. The handout uses time as a way to help students understand the magnitude of climate change and the value of using nature as a source of inspiration. Students will take notes on the handout about environmental problems humans have caused and ideas from nature that may address those problems. "! Share with the students that over the next few classes they are going to learn about the causes and consequences of climate change, and how we can look to nature to find opportunities to solve the challenges humans face. DEMONSTRATION "! The activity will take approximately 20 minutes of class time to complete, but is designed for discussion between the initial set up and conclusion of the demonstration. "! Materials: #! Two 2-liter clear plastic soft drink bottles #! Four cups of water Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 22 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth #! Four ~2500 mg sodium bicarbonate tablets (Alka Seltzer) #! Two thermometers #! A funnel #! A watch #! Sunlight "! Provide each student with a copy of the Greenhouse Effect Experiment Handout. The procedure for conducting the experiment is on the first page of the handout. Ask students to record their observations, measurements, and conclusions on their handout. SETTING THE STAGE: ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION !! While the bottles are heating up, use the PowerPoint presentation included in the unit to discuss with students the composition of the atmosphere. "! Earth’s atmosphere is composed of two types of gases: permanent gases and trace elements. #! Permanent gases do not fluctuate in concentration year-to-year and compose a majority of the atmosphere. These permanent gases are nitrogen (78% of the atmosphere), oxygen (20.1% of the atmosphere), and argon (.9% of the atmosphere). #! The remaining components in the atmosphere are present in trace amounts, including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, and ozone. Though trace gases make up a small percentage of the atmosphere (roughly 1%), changes in their concentrations have a huge impact on global temperature and ecosystems. #! The most abundant trace gas, carbon dioxide, has become steadily more concentrated in Earth’s atmosphere and is the main cause of rising global temperatures. DISCUSSION "! Lead the class in a discussion of atmospheric composition and its consequences. Have students break up into pairs and discuss the following questions. #! What is Earth’s atmosphere composed of? (Nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and small amounts of other gases like methane, ozone, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides) #! What are the gases in the two bottles? (The atmosphere in the bottle without AlkaSeltzer consists of primarily nitrogen and oxygen, while the bottle with the Alka-Seltzer has also has a significant carbon concentration) #! How does adding the Alka-Seltzer change the atmospheric compositions of the bottle? (Alka-Seltzer adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere inside the bottle) Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 23 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth #! What do you think adding carbon dioxide does to the atmosphere? How is this shown in the bottle demonstration? (Carbon dioxide increases the temperature of the atmosphere and is expected to do the same to the bottle) "! Bring the class back together and share ideas about the questions. "! Compare the final temperatures between the bottles. The bottle with the carbon-rich atmosphere should have a higher temperature. #! What does this mean about the relationship between increased global carbon emissions and increased global temperature? (Positive correlation between the two variables) SETTING THE STAGE: THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT "! Recall the bottle demonstration is designed to show students that increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in an increase in temperature. If the experiment was successful, students will find that the “high CO2” bottle experienced a greater increase in temperature than the “low CO2” bottle. The differences between the two bottles demonstrate how carbon concentrations change the greenhouse gas effect "! Explain the Greenhouse effect: "! Show one or both of these videos on the Greenhouse Effect: #! The EPA’s 2-minute overview animation about the Greenhouse Effect: http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/basics/today/greenhouse-effect.html# "! The Earth and our atmosphere create a closed system. Few things enter our closed system (solar radiation and the occasional meteorite), and few things leave (escaping solar radiation and the occasional space shuttle). Our atmosphere acts like a blanket, both trapping and releasing just the right amount of solar radiation, keeping Earth not too hot, not too cold for the species that have developed here and adapted to the Earth’s climate over millions of years. "! The Greenhouse Effect is the warming effect caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs) trapping infrared radiation in the atmosphere. The naturally occurring Greenhouse Effect is vital to maintaining a hospitable climate for life on Earth, but swelling concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere over short periods of time are increasing the Greenhouse Effect, leading to rising global temperatures. #! Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapor, and nitrous oxide (N2O). CO2 is the most prevalent. Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 24 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth 1 "! If you have time, students can experiment with this online virtual lab, which demonstrates the greenhouse effect: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse ASSESSMENT !! Ask students to keep a journal through the unit. Students can use their journal to take notes throughout the lessons. Ask students to describe the greenhouse effect in their journals. ASSIGNMENT "! Complete the Greenhouse Effect Handout at home if there is not enough time in class. SETTING THE STAGE: CARBON CYCLE "! Earth is over 4.5 billion years old and throughout time the amount of carbon in the atmosphere has slowly fluctuated. However, present day atmospheric carbon concentrations are increasing at a rate faster than ever recorded. Looking at the carbon cycle gives us insight to how these natural fluctuations occur, and how humans are influencing the transfer of carbon between reservoirs. Understanding how the fluctuations in the carbon cycle cause changing conditions on Earth can provide inspiration for sustainable methods of surviving these changing conditions. !! Use the PowerPoint Presentation included with the unit to help students visualize the Carbon Cycle. "! What is carbon? #! Carbon is one of the most common elements found on Earth. Carbon exists in many forms. The graphite in pencils is made up of carbon. Diamonds are carbon atoms 1 Source: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/FAQ.htm Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 25 Biomimicry Lesson 1: Human Impacts on Earth bonded tightly together. Coal, a fossil fuel, is very old organic matter that has been heated and pressurized underground. Carbon exists in abundance inside of YOU. #! Carbon is vital for many processes on Earth. It plays a key role in the photosynthetic process, the production of energy from sunlight. "! Show the video on the carbon cycle. "! Watch the University of Minnesota’s three-minute video about the carbon cycle and humans’ role in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jp1D1dzxj8 2 "! Carbon rotates between Earth’s major reservoirs - the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms in a process called the Carbon Cycle. #! The carbon cycle is the combined processes, including photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration, and combustion by which carbon is cycled between its major reservoirs – the atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms. "! Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one form carbon takes as it cycles through Earth’s reservoirs. Recall, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas. #! Plants take carbon from the air and store it in their bodies. When animals eat plants (and in turn may be eaten by other animals), this carbon is transferred again. When an animal produces waste or dies, carbon can also be transferred to the soil or reemitted into the atmosphere. #! Carbon is returned to the soil during decomposition of plants and animals. As decomposing plants and animals are buried, a combination of unique circumstances including time (millions of years), heat and high pressures, can cause chemical changes that convert the decomposing plants and animals into fossil fuels. 2 Carbon cycle image courtesy of Dave Murro Production and distribution of this document is exclusively limited to Strategic Energy Innovations. www.seiinc.org © 2016 26