The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

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The Carbon CycleandClimate Change

• Or, when I eat my Cheerios am I actually eating
  the sun?

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First, some terms CO2 carbon dioxide H2O
water O2 oxygen CH2O - carbohydrates photosynthe
sis process in green plants whereby chlorophyll
converts solar energy into plant material in the
presence of sunlight oxidation process whereby
plant and animal material (CH2O) is broken down
into CO2 and H2O what happens when plant and
animal remains decompose, are burnt, or when food
is digested cellular respiration when CH2O is
oxidized in living things
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How does the carbon cycle work?
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) naturally cycles into and
out of the atmosphere. CO2 is removed from the
atmosphere by green plants during
photosynthesis. CO2 H2O CH2O
(plant material) O2
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tosynthesis.gif
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) naturally cycles into and
out of the atmosphere. CO2 is removed from the
atmosphere by green plants during
photosynthesis. CO2 H2O CH2O
(plant material) O2 Note that this process
results in two oxygen (O) atoms being released to
the atmosphere. (Green plants give off
oxygen.) When CH2O breaks down (the plant or
animal dies and decomposes, or oxidizes) the
carbon atom is released back to the atmosphere in
the form of carbon dioxide, CO2. When animals eat
plants for energy, they breath out CO2 as they
burn or oxidize the carbohydrates.
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) naturally cycles into and
out of the atmosphere. CO2 is removed from the
atmosphere by green plants during
photosynthesis. CO2 H2O CH2O
(plant material) O2 Note that this process
results in two oxygen (O) atoms being released to
the atmosphere. (Green plants give off oxygen.)
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When CH2O breaks down (the plant or animal dies
and decomposes, or oxidizes) the carbon atom is
released back to the atmosphere in the form of
carbon dioxide, CO2. Oxidation CH2O O2
H2O CO2 When animals eat plants for
energy, they breath out CO2 as they burn or
oxidize the carbohydrates. This is the carbon
cycle in very simple terms.
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Oxidation CH2O O2 H2O CO2 This
what happens when CH2O burns or food is
digested. Oxygen and carbohydrates combined to
form water and carbon dioxide. In the process the
energy that was stored during photosynthesis is
released. Living things use that energy to carry
out life functions growth, movement,
reproduction, etc. So, when you eat your
Cheerios, you are actually using trapped solar
energy. Youre eating the sun!
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Another term for respiration is
oxidation. Oxidation CH2O O2 H2O
CO2 This what happens when CH2O burns or food
is digested. Oxygen and carbohydrates combined to
form water and carbon dioxide. In the process the
energy that was stored during photosynthesis is
released. Living things use that energy to carry
out life functions growth, movement,
reproduction, etc. So, when you eat your
Cheerios, you are actually using trapped solar
energy. Youre eating the sun! This is called
cellular respiration and is what keeps us alive.
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This is also what happens when we burn wood in a
fireplace, gasoline in a car, coal in a thermal
electric generating station, or natural gas in a
furnace we are releasing solar energy that was
trapped during photosynthesis.
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• This is also what happens when we burn wood in a
  fireplace, gasoline in a car, coal in a thermal
  electric generating station, or natural gas in a
  furnace we are releasing solar energy that was
  trapped during photosynthesis.
• When we do this the CO2 that was trapped in
  plants (or indirectly, in animals) is released
  back into the atmosphere.
• In summary
• plants take in H2O and CO2, convert it to CH2O.
• plants die (or get eaten) and the break down, and
  release CO2

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Its a cycle. Lovely, right? Well, theres a wee
problem .in fact, its a HUGE problem.
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Millions of years ago, a lot of plant and animal
material (that is, CH2O) got buried in swamps and
under the bottom of shallow seas or in swamps. It
did not break down. This meant that much of the
CO2 was not released back into atmosphere
instead the CH2O was converted into what we call
fossil fuels coal, oil, or natural gas. So, the
CO2 was stored in the rock.
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Millions of years ago, a lot of plant and animal
material (that is, CH2O) got buried in swamps and
under the bottom of shallow seas or in swamps. It
did not break down. This meant that much of the
CO2 was not released back into atmosphere
instead the CH2O was converted into what we call
fossil fuels coal, oil, or natural gas. So, the
CO2 was stored in the rock. These are called
carbon sinks. Heres the PROBLEM (and its a big
one) Over the last 150 years human society has
become highly industrialized and much bigger, and
we have burnt, very fast, a lot of the fossil
fuels. In the process we have released back into
the atmosphere in a very short period of time
HUGE amounts of carbon (as CO2) that had been
stored for millions of years in the carbon sinks.
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s/voc_pollution_sm.jpg
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2/nclim02.jpg
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THE RESULT? The amount of CO2, the most
important greenhouse gas, has increased
dramatically. And the earth is warming.
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onal/photosvideos/photos/global-warming-greather-t
hrea.jpg
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