Carbon cycle

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INTRODUCTION
CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 1

What Is “Carbon’’ ?
Discovery of ‘Carbon’
Where Did Carbon Come From For Life on Earth?
What Is the Origin of the Name of Carbon?
Occurrence of Carbon in nature
What is the ‘Carbon Cycle’ ?
Carbon Cycle Step : How It Is Used Biologically
Types of Carbon Cycle
Carbon cycle re-balancing
Importance of Carbon Cycle

 It is a chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6.
Living things use carbon in a vast number of molecules in their bodies.
Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids all contain carbon. This
means that we find carbon in everything from cell membranes to hormones
to DNA.

o Discovered : 3750 BC
o Carbon as charcoal, soot and coal has been used since prehistoric times.
o Humans have been aware of carbon since the earliest of times. When cave
people made a fire, they saw smoke form.
o The black color of smoke is caused by unburned specks of carbon.

Research by Rice University Earth
scientists suggests that virtually all
of Earth's life-giving carbon could
have come from a collision about
4.4 billion years ago between Earth
and an embryonic planet similar to
Mercury.

 It was first recognized as an element
in the second half of the 18th century.
Carbon was named by a French scientist,
Antoine Lavoisier, and continued research
on the element.
Carbon derives its name from the Latin
word “carbo” meaning coal

It is the second most common element in the human body after oxygen.
About 18 percent of a person's body weight is due to carbon.
The fourth most common element in the solar system.
Carbon is the sixth most common element in the universe.
Carbon is the 17th most common element in the Earth's crust.
Its abundance has been estimated to be between 180 and 270 parts per
million.

What is the ‘Carbon Cycle’ ?
The carbon cycle is a series of events that involves the cyclic movement and transformation
of carbon between living organisms and the environment. Essentially, this is a natural way of
reusing carbon molecules in different geographic locations.
Basically, three major carbon-bearing reservoirs exist in the planet: the lithosphere(land),
the hydrosphere(water), and the atmosphere(air).
All of which are acted upon out by the biosphere (living organisms). Living organisms, in
general, play an important role in maintaining the balance between the other reservoirs.
By determining the interaction between these reservoirs and tracing the route through which
carbon are transported from the source to the sink, the interconnected carbon cycles on
Earth are described precisely.

Carbon Cycle Steps
How It Is Used Biologically
• All biological and geological processes are important in
maintaining the carbon balance in the planet. The carbon cycle is
divided into the following steps

1. Entry of Carbon into the Atmosphere
The entry of carbon (in the form of
carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere
marks the start of the carbon cycle.
Before this, carbon dioxide goes
through the process of respiration
(process by which organisms
release energy from their food) and
combustion (process of burning).
Such both processes involve the
releasing carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.

2 Carbon Dioxide Absorption By Producers
The next step is the entry of the
carbon dioxide in the
photosynthetic process.
Photosynthetic organisms
like plantsand algae(called as
producers) transform carbon
dioxide into sugars for energy use
and for their own reproduction.

3 Passing of the Carbon Compounds in the Food Chain
Following the above step is the entry
of the carbon compounds from the
plants (producers) themselves to the
food chain. When animals consume
(hence consume) these plants, the
carbon compounds are received by
them.

4 Return of the Carbon To the Atmosphere
. The next step is the return of the carbon to the atmosphere due to the decomposers
 (bacteria and fungi) eating the dead bodies of animals. This is because the process
of decomposition gives off carbon dioxide as a by-product.

depending on how long it takes to occur
short term
long term.
divided into the following major reservoirs of carbon interconnected
by pathways of exchange
on the land
in the sea

 This type of carbon cycling involves the
annual changes that occur within the
atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems, and
the marine ecosystem.
 This type of cycling is named as such
because the movement of carbon across
reservoirs only takes relatively short time
(minutes, hours, days, months, or years )

 This type of carbon cycling is the
slower form since it takes thousands
to millions of years to occur.
 The excess carbons from the short
term cycling are stored into the “long
term” reservoir until they are
removed after a long time.

 The major source of carbon in the atmosphere comes
from carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide enters the
atmosphere through respiration and combustion process.
The process of photosynthesis involves the absorption of
CO2 by plants to produce carbohydrates and the equation
is as follows.
 Carbon compounds are passed along the food chain from
the producers to consumers. The majority of the carbon
exists in the body in the form of carbon dioxide
through respiration. The role of decomposers is to eat the
dead organism and return the carbon from their body
back into the atmosphere and the equation goes like
these:

• Marine animals convert carbon
which is present in their diet to
produce calcium carbonate . They
use the carbonates to make their
shells. As time passes the dead
organisms get collected in the sea to
form limestone and the formed
limestone rocks formed gets
exposed to air. Due to this exposure,
they get weathered and hence the
carbon is released back into the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

• Exchanges of carbon take place in several ways-
including respiration, transpiration, combustion, and decomposition. The carbon
balance, or carbon budget, is the balance of exchange between the four reservoirs.
• Debate about 're-balancing the carbon cycle' arises from a concern that use of fossil
fuels, which has accelerated since the start of the industrial revolution, has caused
carbon to accumulate in the atmosphere. Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are
estimated to have risen from 280 ppm to almost 400 ppm since 1800 and this is
linked to global warming.
• It is therefore argued that the carbon cycle should be re-balanced by reducing the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

• Like any other natural cycles, the carbon cycle is essential for living
organisms and biological systems in general. Discussed below are some of
them:
1. Essential For Life
2. Important For the Maintenance of the Balance in Ecosystems
3. Critical To Food Chain
4. Important For Climate Regulation

• As alluded to earlier, all living organisms are
made up of carbon or one way or another;
hence, the mere fact of it is very essential
for life itself. When the process fails, life
may begin to disrupt, and may even cause
the cessation of it.

• The process of carbon cycle is very
important in the maintenance of
balance in ecosystems due to the
movement of carbon in various
reservoirs. If ever imbalance happens,
serious environmental disasters like
global warming may occur.
• At present, scientists and researchers
alike are still searching for novel
methods of using other non-carbon
sources for energy resource.

• The close relationship between carbon
cycle and food chain boils down to the
fact that all living organisms are made
up of carbon.
• Through food chains (and food
webs), the carbon present in the
producers migrate to the consumers
that eat them. Consumers that eat
other consumers as well receive the
carbon from their food as well.

Carbon dioxide and methane are the two
carbon-based gases that significantly
contribute to global warming. Since they are
made up of carbon, the process of carbon
cycle obviously determine the amount of
these gases in the atmosphere.
When there is a huge amount of carbon
released into the atmosphere, the level
of greenhouse gases increases, and therefore
trapping more heat in the Earth. Hence, the
understanding of how carbon cycle occurs in
the environment paves the way for the
development of the understanding for world
climate.

Humans, in general, have already disturbed the natural process of carbon
cycle since the start of the industrial revolution. Look around you. It is
already becoming apparent how the atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations (as well as other greenhouse gases) are increasing as results of
domestic and other anthropogenic activities.
The disadvantages of such activities still remains uncertain; but in the long
run, we know for sure that it would sooner cause major drawbacks to life.

Carbon cycle

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