Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle is the movement of carbon in its many forms between the biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and geosphere. Carbon is formed in various forms of the earth. Below the ground, it is stored as the many fossil fuels used for energy. Various levels of carbon are found in the air. The concentration of carbon in living matter (18%) is almost 100 times greater than its concentration in the earth (0.19%). So living things extract carbon from their nonliving environment. For life to continue, this carbon must be recycled.

The Carbon Cycle Diagram

The pupose of the carbon cycle diagram is to exemplify the natural balance of carbon and the process that appears.

The carbon cycle is basically a two step process which involves photosynthesis and respiraton. Green plants undergo both photosynthesis and respiration. Fungi and animal life only respire. Carbon is "cycled" from green plants to the atmosphere and back to the plant.

The two steps are:

1. Photosynthesis

During photosynthesis plants use radiant energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, which are high energy molecules.

2. Respiration

During the respiration step, the plants turn the carbohydrates back into water and carbon dioxide, releasing the energy that was used to build the carbohydrates. This is this energy that the plant uses to live during the night.

Animals also undergo the process of respiration. When humans and animals eat plants, the carbohydrates are converted back into water and carbon dioxide, both of which are exhaled. The energy released during respiration is used to make Adenine Triphosphate (ATP), which is necessary for human and animal cells to function.

What happens during Carbon Cycle

Although photosynthesis and respiration form the basis of the carbon cycle they don't paint the picture of everything that hapens in the process. During the carbon cycle process carbon dioxide is released and fossile fuel is formed.

Release of Carbon Dioxide

When a green plant dies the carbohydrate are broken down by decomposers (bacteria or fungi ). The Fungi and bacteria undergo respiration, which allows them to release the carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Formation of Fossile Fuel

Fossil fuels were formed as green plants or plantlike protists (single celled organisms) that underwent photosynthesis and then died. They sank to the bottom of the ocean. Some of the protists were eaten by decomposers. Over time, the ones that weren't eaten became what we know as fossil fuels. As layers of carbohydrate-rich material accumulated on the ocean floor, they were covered by sediment that fell to the bottom. Over time, the pressure of the layers helped convert the carbohydrates into oil and natural gas.
Coal is also a fossil fuel that came into being as a result of the carbon cycle steps, forming when plants die in a swamp rather than in the ocean. The environment of swamp water is very acidic, warm, and oxygen poor, creating conditions in which decomposers cannot survive. In this ecosystem, layers of undecomposed plant material built up, and the pressure forced the hydrocarbons to lose their hydrogen atoms. The end result of this pressurization over time is anthracite coal.

The importance of the Carbon Cycle

When people burn fossil fuels, the carbon that was originally taken up from the atmosphere by the plants is released as carbon dioxide. New carbon atoms aren't produced and introduced into the atmosphere. The carbon atoms that exist in the world today have been in existence since the beginning of time. These atoms, which are necessary to sustain life, are still here because they have been recycled countless times via the carbon cycle. If the carbon cycle can no longer function properly, life as we know it will be changed drastically.

Sources

http://wikipedia.org/

http://users.rcn.com/

http://www.hobart.k12.in/

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/