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Carbon Dioxide

Why is carbon dioxide important?

The consensus view of scientists reflected in the 2001 report of the


Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that the recent rapid rise
in global temperature is caused by rising human emissions of greenhouse gases.
Of these gases, carbon dioxide is by far the most important contributor (>50%) to
global warming. Nitrogen and oxygen make up the greater part of the gaseous
composition of the atmosphere, but because of their molecular structure they do
not absorb or reflect thermal (infrared) energy and thus do not contribute to the
greenhouse effect. Since the work of John Tyndall in the mid 19th century it has
been known that while nitrogen and oxygen, the gases which comprise 99% of
the atmosphere, are transparent to visible and infra-red radiation, gases like
carbon dioxide, water vapour and methane are not. These gases trap heat in the
atmosphere leading to the green house effect
(http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/general/history/john_tyndall.shtml). Water vapour is the
most important contributor to the natural greenhouse effect which ensures that
the Earth has a temperature that is conducive to life; without this natural process
the Earth would be 30°C colder than at present. A number of other gases that
absorb thermal (infrared) radiation also contribute to the greenhouse effect; these
include methane (CH4), nitrogen oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3) as well as man
made gases such as the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The effects of changing
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on the Earth’s energy balance were
calculated in 1895 by Svante Arrhenius who was concerned about the effects of
human activity, particularly the burning of coal, the principal fossil fuel used at
that time
(http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Giants/Arrhenius/arrhenius_2.html).
Uncertainty as to whether natural processes have removed the human input of
CO2 have been resolved by a time series of measurements of atmospheric
concentrations (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/co2/sio-mlo.htm) and results from
ice cores (http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap01/icecore.html).
Carbon dioxide trends through time
Measurements of CO2 have been made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii
since 1958 and show

Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, USA

an accelerating increase to a record high concentration of 380 ppm in May 2004


(a 100 ppm increase above the pre-industrial concentration). A pronounced
seasonal cycle is evident in the record that reflects the annual growth of plants in
the oceans and on land in the northern hemisphere. As plants grow and
photosynthesise they take up CO2 and as their growth decreases in the autumn,
winter levels of CO2 in the atmosphere increase.
Monthly mean measurement of carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa

Similar measurements are now being made at a wide range of sites around the
world, including Antarctica. As one might expect at some sites the seasonal cycle
is less pronounced, but the general trend through time remains the same.
Locations of greenhouse gas observing stations

It is difficult to conclude from these short time series what causes the rise in CO2.
Fortunately, bubbles of atmospheric gas are trapped in snow when it falls. In cold
regions of the world such as Antarctica and Greenland, annual layers of snow
are formed that turn into ice and can be measured and dated. Deep drilling
through the ice sheet at Law Dome, in Antarctica for example, has revealed the
evolution of CO2 in the atmosphere over the last 1000 years. Until the beginning
of the industrial revolution levels remained relatively constant at about 208 ppm.

Position of ice cores in Antarctica Levels of CO2 measured in ice with


extension in red
from atmospheric measurements at
Mauna Loa.

A 3623 metre core taken at Vostok, Antarctica sampled ice as old as 420,000
years. This core showed that CO2 levels had oscillated between approximately
200 and 280 ppm over this period reflecting different glacial and interglacial
periods of the last ice age. The data clearly show that the present levels in the
atmosphere are much higher than at any time over the last 420,000 years.
Estimates obtained from geological and modelling studies indicate that the
present levels in the atmosphere were last experienced on Earth more than 40
million years ago.

New results from the Dome C core in Antarctica (EPICA community members,
2004) extends the climate record back to 740,000 years ago. The new results
show that prior to 430,000 years as recorded in the Vostok core interglacial
periods were less warm, but lasted longer compared to more recent
glacial/interglacial cycles.

What is the cause of the recent rapid increase in CO2


levels?
On 7 June 2005 scientists from the National Academies of 68 nations, plus Brazil
China and India, strongly endorsed the view reported in the third report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2001 that the recent rapid
rise in global temperature is caused by rising anthropogenic emissions of
greenhouse gases with CO2 being the main culprit.

Changes in temperature are preceded by concentrations of CO2

There has been an inexorable rise in emissions by mankind to the atmosphere,


mainly from the use of fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) and cement production. The
industrial revolution (around 1751) has contributed to increasing atmospheric
concentrations of CO2. Emissions in 2002 of 6975 million metric tons of carbon
were the highest ever recorded. Changes in land use and increasing exploitation
of forests for wood, especially in the tropics, further add to atmospheric
concentrations each year.

Role of the oceans in the carbon cycle


The carbon cycle is crucial to climate because it governs the amount of important
greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere with
the oceans playing a key role as the major reservoir of carbon. Methane adds to
the carbon dioxide trend as it is mostly converted to CO2 in the atmosphere over
an approximately ten year period.

Carbon continuously cycles between different components of the climate system.


A schematic representation of the carbon cycle

The carbon cycle in the diagram above (from Sarmiento and Gruber, 2002)
shows the size of the different ‘reservoirs’ and the fluxes between them for both
the natural carbon cycle and the human (anthropogenic) contribution. It is clear
from these diagrams that the oceans have a dominant role in the carbon cycle
and that the deep ocean is the main long-term depository for carbon. Without the
oceans the rate of increase in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 would be much
greater. The increasing trend in the atmosphere is less than half that of
anthropogenic emissions as a considerable proportion is taken up by the oceans
and land. The take-up of carbon dioxide by seawater is dependent on what is
known as the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2); transfer requires that the
pressure of the gas in the sea is lower than the adjacent air, otherwise
outgassing to the atmosphere takes place. In the sea carbon dioxide reacts with
water to produce bicarbonate and carbonate ions. These products, together with
the small amount of CO2 that remains are known as Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
(DIC). Recent measurements of DIC in the World’s oceans have shown that the
oceans have taken up ~50% and the land ~25% of fossil fuel emissions since the
beginning of industrialisation around 1800. Transfer of carbon to the deep ocean
takes place via two processes known as the solubility and biological pumps.
Atmospheric concentrations a century from now

In the 2001 IPPC report projections calculated by a range of Global Climate


Change models forecast a continuing rise in carbon dioxide by 2100 of between
540 and 970 ppm compared to 360 ppm in 2000.

The same models predicted that globally-averaged surface temperatures would


rise between 1.4 and 5.8°C over the same period. More recent modelling from
the Hadley Centre includes feedback mechanisms from the oceans and land and
has predicted much greater concentrations of 980 ppm within 100 years time,
assuming that emissions continue to grow at their present rate. Global surface
temperature would increase to 5.5°C (8°C on land) if carbon dioxide reached this
level. A number of studies have indicated that future climate change will reduce
the ability of the Earth's system (both ocean and land reservoirs) to absorb
human carbon emissions. If this should happen the trend in atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels and global temperature would increase even more rapidly. The
prognosis for the future, without a radical change in living habits and major
technological developments is not bright, given that global energy demand over
the next 25 years is expected to increase by 60%.
New

Carbon is an element fundamental to all life as we know it. Nature has devised a
way to recycle this element, which is called the carbon cycle.

Carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere when plants and animals die and
decompose. The decomposers release carbon dioxide back into the
atmosphere where it will be absorbed again by other plants during
photosynthesis. In this way the cycle of carbon dioxide being absorbed from the
atmosphere and being released again is repeated over and over.

In the carbon cycle the amount of carbon in the environment always remains
the same.

The carbon cycle is the process in which carbon atoms are recycled over and over again
on Earth. Carbon recycling takes place within Earth's biosphere and between living things
and the nonliving environment. Since a continual supply of carbon is essential for all
living organisms, the carbon cycle is the name given to the different processes that move
carbon from one to another. The complete cycle is made up of "sources" that put carbon
back into the environment and "sinks" that absorb and store carbon.
Recycling carbon

Earth's biosphere can be thought of as a sealed container into which nothing new
is ever added except the energy from the Sun. Since new matter can never be
created, it is essential that living things be able to reuse the existing matter again
and again. For the world to work as it does, everything has to be constantly
recycled. The carbon cycle is just one of several recycling processes, but it may be
the most important process since carbon is known to be a basic building block of
life. As the foundation atop which a huge family of chemical substances called
organic substances are formed, carbon is the basis of carbohydrates, proteins,
lipids, and nucleic acids—all of which form the basis of life on Earth.

Since all living things contain the element carbon, it is one of the most abundant elements
on Earth. The total amount of carbon on Earth, whether we are able to measure it
accurately or not, always remains the same, although the carbon regularly changes its
form. A particular carbon atom located in someone's eyelash may have at one time been
part of some now-extinct species, like a dinosaur. Since the dinosaur died and
decomposed millions of years ago, its carbon atoms have seen many forms before ending
up as part of a human being. It may have been part of several plants and trees, free-
floating in the air as carbon dioxide, locked away in the shell of a sea creature and then
buried at the ocean bottom, or even part of a volcanic eruption. Carbon is found in great
quantities in Earth's crust, its surface waters, the atmosphere, and the mass of green
plants. It is also found in many different chemical combinations, including carbon
dioxide (CO 2 ) and calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), as well as in a huge variety of organic
compounds such as hydrocarbons (like coal, petroleum, and natural gas).

worrds to Know

biosphere.: The sum total of all life-forms on Earth and the interaction among
those life-forms.

decomposition The breakdown of complex molecules—molecules of which dead


organisms are composed—into simple nutrients that can be reutilized by living
organisms.
Fossil fuel;: A fuel such as coal, oil, or natural gas that is formed over millions of
years from the remains of plants and animals.

Green house effect; The warming of Earth's atmosphere due to water vapor,
carbon dioxide, and other gases in the atmosphere that trap heat radiated from
Earth's surface.

hydrocarbon: Molecules composed solely of hydrogen and carbon atoms.


Photosynthesis;Chemical process by which plants containing chlorophyll use
sunlight to manufacture their own food by converting carbon dioxide and water
to carbohydrates, releasing oxygen as a by-product.

respiration The process in which oxygen is used to break down organic compounds into
carbon dioxide and water.

Carbon cycle processes

If a diagram were drawn showing the different processes that move carbon from
one form to another, its main processes would be photosynthesis, respiration,
decomposition, natural weathering of rocks, and the combustion of fossil fuels.

Photosynthesis;. Carbon exists in the atmosphere as the compound carbon


dioxide. It first enters the ecological food web (the connected network of
producers and consumers) when photosynthetic organisms, such as plants and
certain algae, absorb carbon dioxide through tiny pores in their leaves. The plants
then "fix" or capture the carbon dioxide and are able to convert it into simple
sugars like glucose through the biochemical process known as photosynthesis.
Plants store and use this sugar to grow and to reproduce. Thus, by their very
nature as makers of their own food, plants remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. When plants are eaten by animals, their carbon is passed on to those
animals. Since animals cannot
The carbon cycle. (Reproduced by permission of
The Gale Group
.)

make their own food, they must get their carbon either directly by eating plants
or indirectly by eating animals that have eaten plants.

Respiration is the next step in the cycle, and unlike photosynthesis, it occurs in
plants, animals, and even decomposers. Although we usually think only of
breathing oxygen when we hear the word "respiration," it has a broader meaning
that involves oxygen. To a biologist, respiration is the process in which oxygen is
used to break down organic compounds into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H
2 O). For an animal then, respiration is both taking in oxygen (and releasing
carbon dioxide) and oxidizing its food (or burning it with oxygen) in order to
release the energy the food contains. In both cases, carbon is returned to the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Carbon atoms that started out as components of
carbon dioxide molecules have passed through the body of living organisms and
been returned to the atmosphere, ready to be recycled again.
Decomposition is the largest source through which carbon is returned to the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Decomposers are microorganisms that live mostly
in the soil but also in water, and which feed on the rotting remains of plants and
animals. It is their job to consume both waste products and dead matter, during
which they also return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by respiration.
Decomposers not only play a key role in the carbon cycle, but also break down,
remove, and recycle what might be called nature's garbage.

Weathering of rocks; Not all carbon atoms are always moving somewhere in the
carbon cycle. Often, many become trapped in limerock, a type of stone formed on
the ocean floor by the shells of marine plankton. Sometimes after millions of
years, the waters recede and the limerock is eventually exposed to the elements.
When limerock is exposed to the natural process of weathering, it slowly releases
the carbon atoms it contains, and they become an active part of the carbon cycle
once again

Human caused increase of co2 in atmosphere; In recent history, humans have


added to the carbon cycle by burning fossil fuels. Ever since the rapid growth of
the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century when people first harnessed
steam to power their engines, human beings have been burning carbon-
containing fuels like coal and oil (called fossil fuels) for artificial power. This
constant burning produces massive amounts of carbon dioxide, which are
released into Earth's atmosphere. Over the last 150 years, the burning of coal, oil,
and natural gas has released some 270 billion tons (245 billion metric tons) of
carbon into the air in the form of carbon dioxide.

Luckily, more than half of the carbon dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels is
absorbed by the oceans, by plants, and by soils. Regardless, scientists feel fossil fuel
consumption could be an example of a human activity that affects and possibly alters the
natural processes (photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition) that nature had previously
kept in balance. Many scientists believe that carbon dioxide is a "greenhouse gas." This
means that it traps heat and prevents it from escaping from Earth. As a result, this trapped
gas leads to a global temperature rise, a natural phenomenon known as the greenhouse
effect, which can have disastrous effects on Earth's environment.
Read more: Carbon Cycle - humans, body, used, water, process, Earth, life, plants,
type, chemical, form, energy, gas, animals, oxygen, air, effects, basic, surface
http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Cycle.html#ixzz1HPNRgRpF

The carbon cycle in nature (Figure 3.3), the distribution and


accumulation of carbon, are related to a significant degree with the
life functions of the vegetative organisms, which absorb the
atmospheric CO2 during the photosynthesis. Three types of carbon
cycles are observed in nature, which proceed simultaneously and
with mutual relationships:

• biological cycle, proceeding according to the scheme:


atmosphere absorption - vegetation assimilation animals
respiration atmosphere. In fact, a very small part of the
carbon contained in nature has participated intensively in the
biological cycle, supporting the life on the Earth within certain
limits depending of the established equilibrium in carbon
balance.

• big geological cycle, proceeding very slowly. The importance of


the World Ocean is especially significant since it plays the role
of main regulator of CO2 in the atmosphere according to the
scheme below, due to its huge water reserves (with good
capacity of atmospheric CO2 and good dissolution properties):
CO2 (atmosphere) CO2 (water) H2CO3 Ca(HCO3)2
CaCO3

• biological-technogenic cycle. It resembles very much to the first


one but still more organogenic depositions of past geological
times (oil, coal, natural gas, schists, etc.) are included in it due
to the economic activity of man. It is considered that the CO 2
released into atmosphere by anthropogenic means is the main
cause for the "greenhouse effect"
The deposition of carbonates derived from the weathering of carbonates is not shown
because these processes essentially balance one another over the long term as far as
carbon dioxide is concerned. However, carbonate deposition derived from carbonate
weathering leads to additional degassing of carbon dioxide upon deep burial and thermal
decomposition. Diagenesis, chemical changes at low temperatures during burial. The
cycle can be subdivided into two subcycles involving organic matter (left side of figure)
and silicate weathering and carbonate deposition (right side of figure).

We believe that it's vital to understand how the carbon cycle works
in order to see the danger of it not working. Therefore, let's look at
a sample carbon cycle and explore how carbon atoms move through
our natural world. Plants, animals, and soil interact to make up the
basic cycles of nature. In the carbon cycle, plants absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and use it, combined with water they
get from the soil, to make the substances they need for growth.
The process of photosynthesis incorporates the carbon atoms from
carbon dioxide into sugars. Animals, such as the rabbit pictured
here, eat the plants and use the carbon to build their own tissues.
Other animals, such as the fox, eat the rabbit and then use the
carbon for their own needs. These animals return carbon dioxide
into the air when they breathe, and when they die, since the carbon
is returned to the soil during decomposition. The carbon atoms in
soil may then be used in a new plant or small microorganisms.
Ultimately, the same carbon atom can move through many organisms
and even end in the same place where it began. Herein lies the
fascination of the carbon cycle; the same atoms can be recycled for
millennia!

The carbon cycle is an important gaseous cycle. Most of the carbon


in our world is stored as carbon dioxide, in either the atmosphere or
dissolved in the ocean. Plants need carbon dioxide to carry on
photosynthesis, a process where the carbon atoms become part of
molecules of simple carbohydrates (sugars) and may later be
changed to fats, proteins and DNA or more complex carbohydrates.
The carbon becomes part of the energy system for ecosystems,
since fats and carbohydrates are forms of stored energy. The
carbon atoms travel through food chains, with decomposers at any
step of the way. To fuel their bodies living things take in oxygen
from their environment and use it to oxidize carbohydrates to
release energy, the reverse process of photosynthesis. The process
in which this energy is made available for growth and other
activities is called respiration, and produces carbon dioxide which
must be excreted from the body, usually through lungs, gills or
leaves.

The process of respiration makes carbon dioxide available for


photosynthesis. Many living things build shells of calcium carbonate
(a combination of carbon, calcium and oxygen) and when they shed
them in growth or when they die these shells may accumulate and
build up into rocks. The White Cliffs of Dover is a famous example
of this. Carbon in animals might stay in its bones until the bone
decays after the animal’s death, or might leave an animal’s body
relatively quickly with waste matter. Some carbon in dead bodies of
plants or animals becomes trapped and fossilized before
decomposure is complete, and can form materials such as peat, coal
or oil.

Soil, a potential large scale carbon store

We have all heard in the news that to tackle climate change, greenhouse-gas emissions
must be reduced on a global scale. Fossil fuel emissions still remain the largest
contributor to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, therefore reducing their contribution
to global energy is key1. However, as this is a process that can not be done overnight, an
additional strategy to withdraw CO2 from the atmosphere is also required. One suggestion
has been to plant trees around the world. However if afforestation is done in the wrong
areas (e.g. away from the tropics, in tundra areas) then it does more harm than good. As
one of the screeners for the Soils section of CAB Abstracts, I have seen a dramatic
increase in the discussion of the potential of biochar (agrichar) to alleviate this problem.

What is biochar? It is a black carbon byproduct of a process called pyrolysis, which


involves heating green waste or other biomass without oxygen to generate renewable
energy. Compared to afforestation (left), when biochar (right) is used as a soil
amendment, it has a net 20% gain in carbon sequestration (click on image for larger
version).

The precise duration of biochar’s carbon storage is under debate, with ranges from
hundreds of years to millennia. Whatever the length it can be considered a useful long-
term CO2 sink. However, biochar is not limited in the same way as biomass sequestration
through afforestation, grassland conversion or no-tillage agriculture. No-tillage, for
example, has been reported to cease carbon capture after 15-20 years, while forests
eventually mature over decades of centuries and start to release as much CO2 as they
initially sequestered.

Trials of biochar are being undertaken at the Wollongbar Agricultural Institute in New
South Wales, Australia. Already off the initial findings, biochar is being hailed as a
saviour of the Australian soils and environment. In addition to locking away carbon in the
soil it has decreased the emission of soil nitrous oxide and increased crop growth at a rate
of up to 10 tonnes per hectare, while decreasing the need for fertilisers and manure
applications.

All these details are great, but the most important question is can biochar sequestration
and the associated bioenergy production make a difference to national and global carbon
budgets?

Within Lehmann’s Nature commentary2 he calculates 3 approaches for the use of biochar
within USA, that each could sequester about 10% of the amount of the US fossil-fuel
emissions (1.6 billion tonnes of carbon

the carbon cycle

Carbon emissions into the atmosphere are generated by natural and human
activities. Natural reactions are part of a large, complex cycle of carbon generation
and absorption referred to as the carbon cycle. Carbon is absorbed through three
major carbon stores, or “sinks” in nature.

• The oceans
• The atmosphere
• The terrestrial system

The terrestrial system includes geological forms such as fossil fuel stores, which take
hundreds of years to form, but also soils, plants and forests, which can store CO 2 on a
much quicker scale.
Carbon cycle
(source EUROPA,
European Union)

The consumption
of fossil fuels and
land use change
are increasing the
balance of
carbon. in the
atmosphere.

This is causing
global warming.
We need to
reverse this by
reducing our
emissions into the
atmosphere. This
can be done by
planting trees which sink the CO2 back into the terrestrial system.

Carbon projects which CO2logic promotes such as those involving biomass or wind
turbines reduce emissions at the source e.g. biomass and wind enery reduce the use
of fossil fuels. CO2logic can claim to be the instigator of these reductions as they
would not take place without our intervention. All projects which would take place
without our intervention will not be invested in i.e. must be additional.


• What is Climate Change?
• What is Carbon Dioxide (C02)?
• What is the Carbon Cycle?
• What is Wood?

The carbon cycle is the process through which carbon is cycled through the air,
ground, oceans, plants and animals. Included in the cycle are various sinks (or stores)
of carbon and processes by which the carbon is exchanged from one sink to another. In
scientific terms, every molecule of carbon that is here now was present millions of
years ago-a basic law of nature meaning that matter can be changed, but not created
or destroyed.
Carbon remains in the tree, even when it's made into
furniture or lumber.
Carbon is an element and a basic building block of life. At the simplest level, plants
absorb carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis. The carbon molecules are
used to make sugars and starches, which in turn feed the growth of cell walls. Plants
release the oxygen part of the CO2 molecule back into the air, and that is what we
breathe. Carbon remains in the plant or tree, even when it's made into furniture or
lumber, and is released only when the wood rots or is burned.

A typical 2,500 square foot wood-frame home has 30 metric tonnes of carbon stored in
its structure, the equivalent of driving an average passenger car for five years, or
using about 12,200 litres of gasoline.

The other major exchange of CO2 occurs between the oceans and the atmosphere. As
in a forest, the process of photosynthesis is also used by marine plants (including
microscopic phytoplankton), which absorb dissolved CO2 in the oceans, use the carbon
for growth and release the oxygen into the water, which the fish then "breathe."
The carbon cycle is obviously very complex, and each process has an impact on the
others. However, it is clear that two important exchange points for carbon have been
heavily impacted by humans. First, carbon stored as coal, oil and natural gas is being
burned by industry and automobiles and released into the atmosphere in large
amounts. Close to eight billion tonnes of carbon are emitted through human-related
processes every year, most via fossil fuel combustion.

Second, land plants that absorb CO2 have been reduced as forests continue to be
cleared for agriculture-mainly in the developing world. As a result, less CO2 is being
absorbed. Approximately 20 per cent of the increase in CO2 levels is attributed to the
loss of forest cover or deforestation in developing regions.

Why is carbon so important?


Carbon is the basis of all organic molecules. It makes up our genetic material (DNA
and RNA) and proteins, which are essential for life. Carbon is so special because of its
ability to bond to almost any other molecule. The major element within our bodies is
carbon.

What is the carbon cycle?


The carbon cycle is the process through which carbon is cycled through the air,
ground, plants, animals, and fossil fuels. Large amounts of carbon exist in the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is cycled by green plants during the
process known as photosynthesis to make organic molecules (glucose, which is food).
This is where the nourishment of every heterotrophic organism comes from. Animals do
the opposite of plants--they release carbon dioxide back into the air as a waste product
from respiration. (Note: Plants also undergo respiration to make food, but the majority of
the carbon dioxide in the air comes from heterotrophic respiration). Decomposers, when
they break down dead organic matter, release carbon dioxide into the air also.
Decomposers are essential because without them, all of the carbon on the planet would
eventually become locked up in dead carcasses and other trash. Decay permits carbon to
be released back into the food web. Carbon is also stored in fossil fuels, such as coal,
petroleum, and natural gas. When these are burned, carbon dioxide is also released back
into the air. Volcanoes and fires also release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide can dissolve in water, where some of it is later returned back into the
atmosphere. The rest can be taken to form calcium carbonate, which builds up shells,
rocks, and skeletons of protozoans and coral.

How have humans interfered with the carbon cycle?


Mainly, we have drastically altered the carbon cycle by destroying forests and other
forms of vegetation without replanting.
Pop quiz:
How much of the earth's tropical rain forests have been destroyed by human
interference so far (as of 1997)?

A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 40%
D. 60%
What are the probable effects of our interference?
By the year 2000, there could be no rain forests left at the current rate of destruction!
By doing this, we have been robbing nature of its ONLY way to absorb carbon dioxide.
This leaves us all to the danger of global warming. Also, without a large supply of
plants, the earth's atmosphere will eventually run out of oxygen and the air our bodies
depend upon to make energy in respiration will no longer help us. We will just run out of
energy to perform life's vital tasks!

• The Carbon Cycle is a complex series of processes through which all of


the carbon atoms in existence rotate. The same carbon atoms in your body today
have been used in countless other molecules since time began. The wood burned
just a few decades ago could have produced carbon dioxide which through
photosynthesis became part of a plant. When you eat that plant, the same carbon
from the wood which was burnt can become part of you. The carbon cycle is the
great natural recycler of carbon atoms. Unfortunately, the extent of its importance
is rarely stressed enough. Without the proper functioning of the carbon cycle,
every aspect of life could be changed dramatically.
We believe that it's vital
to understand how the
carbon cycle works in
order to see the danger of
it not working. Therefore,
let's look at a sample
carbon cycle and explore
how carbon atoms move
through our natural
world. Plants, animals,
and soil interact to make
up the basic cycles of nature. In the carbon cycle, plants absorb carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere and use it, combined with water they get from the soil, to
make the substances they need for growth. The process of photosynthesis
incorporates the carbon atoms from carbon dioxide into sugars. Animals, such as
the rabbit pictured here, eat the plants and use the carbon to build their own
tissues. Other animals, such as the fox, eat the rabbit and then use the carbon for
their own needs. These animals return carbon dioxide into the air when they
breathe, and when they die, since the carbon is returned to the soil during
decomposition. The carbon atoms in soil may then be used in a new plant or small
microorganisms. Ultimately, the same carbon atom can move through many
organisms and even end in the same place where it began. Herein lies the
fascination of the carbon cycle; the same atoms can be recycled for millennia!

The carbon being a basic constituent of all organic compounds and a


major element involved in the fixation of energy by photosynthesis, is so
closely tied to energy flow that the two are inseparable.
• The source of all the fixed carbon both in living organisms and fossil
deposits is carbon dioxide CO2, found in the atmosphere and dissolved in
the waters of the earth.

Carbon in Photosynthesis:

• During photosynthesis, carbon from the atmospheric CO2 is incorporated


into the production of the carbohydrate, glucose, C6H12O6, that
subsequently may be converted to other organic compounds such as
polysaccharides, proteins and lipids.
• All the polymeric organic compounds containing carbon are stored in
different plant tissues as food.
• The carbon is transferred on to the other trophic levels of herbivores.
• Some of the carbon is returned to the atmosphere in the form of CO 2, a by
product of plant respiration, in which a considerable portion of glucose is
oxidised to CO2, H2O and energy, as follows-

1/6C6H12O6 + O2 ————- CO2 + H2O + Energy

• The CO2, which is released as the by product of plant respiration is again


used by plants in photosynthesis.
• This is the basic Carbon cycle which is simple and complete.
• Decomposing micro organisms are important in breaking down dead
material with the release of carbon back into the carbon cycle.
• Carbon taken up by herbivores is incorporated into the protoplasm and
stored until the organism dies.
• It is then utilised by the decomposers, released through respiration, it can
also serve as live food for other organisms, or finally may be stored in the
environment as CO2.

Peculiarities of Carbon Cycle:

• The organic phase of carbon cycle is not essentially a complete cycle in


itself.
• The atmospheric (abiotic) and organic (biotic) phases, however are so
closely intertwined that the rapid cycling typical of the organic phase are
present.
• It is significant that all the phases of carbon cycle yield CO2 at some time,
and CO2 is the raw material for them.
• Hence, despite its low concentration in the atmosphere (0.03%), carbon in
a form in which it can be used by living organisms is virtually always
present.

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