Carbon makes life on earth possible. This element forms DNA and proteins, and it also combines with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO2). Too much CO2 is blamed for climate change, but plants need carbon dioxide to grow. Keep that in mind as you learn about the carbon cycle, the subject of this article from Go Natural Education.
Carbon Moves
The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves between the atmosphere, soil, living creatures, the ocean, and human sources. The Earth doesn’t gain or lose carbon, but carbon moves constantly. Most of it is stored in rocks in sediments, but there’s also carbon in trees and grass. Scientists use the term “carbon sinks” to refer to places where carbon is stored away from the atmosphere. Grasslands are a good example.
In this YouTube video, Gil Daigneau, the founder of Go Natural Education, explains how carbon in the atmosphere and in the environment affects us.
Plants Need Carbon
Plants exchange carbon with the atmosphere. During photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide: a chemical compound that contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Much of this carbon dioxide is stored in roots, grasslands, forests, and jungles. Plants then release carbon dioxide when they decay. Other organisms release carbon dioxide as they live and die.
Greenhouse Gases
Carbon is put into the atmosphere from human sources such as coal-fired power plants and the tail pipes of automobiles. Scientists use the term “greenhouse gas” to describe carbon, but it’s not the only atmospheric gas that absorbs and releases heat. One of these other gases is methane, the subject of future articles in this series.
The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “where carbon is in the cycle shapes our climate.” Too little carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would result in a frozen planet. Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would turn the Earth into a furnace. That’s why understanding the carbon cycle accurately and correctly is important to our future.