Carbon cycle

Understanding the role of carbon cycle in the maintenance of balance in ecosystems.

1. Name : Ankita Raju Khobragade Class : M. A.- 1 Year Subject : Geography ( SEM - 1 ) Roll Number : 05 Session : 2018-2019 College Name : Vasantrao Naik Government Institude Of Arts And Social Sciences , Nagpur INTRODUCTION CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 1

2. CARBON CYCLE: Biogeo-chemical cycle TOPIC CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 2

3. CONTENTS 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 CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 3

4. What Is “Carbon’’ ? 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 . CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 4

5. Discovery of ‘Carbon ’ Discovered : 3750 BC Carbon  as charcoal, soot and coal has been used since prehistoric times . Humans have been aware of carbon since the earliest of times. When cave people made a fire, they saw smoke form . The black color of smoke is caused by unburned specks of carbon . CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 5

6. Where Did Carbon Come From For Life on Earth? 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 6

7. What Is the Origin of the Name of Carbon?  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 CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 7

8. Occurrence of Carbon in nature 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 8

9. 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 CYVLE - Ankita 9

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11. 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 CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 11

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13.   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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 13

14. 2 Carbon Dioxide Absorption By Producers The next step is the entry of the carbon dioxide in the photosynthetic process. Photosynthetic organisms like  plants and  algae (called as producers) transform carbon dioxide into sugars for energy use and for their own reproduction. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 14

15. 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 15

16. 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 16

17. Types of Carbon Cycle 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 CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 17

18. 1. Short Term 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 ) CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 18

19. 2. Long Term 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 19

20. The carbon cycle on the land 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 CO 2  by plants to produce carbohydrates and the equation is as follows . CO 2  + H 2 O + energy → CH 2 O +O 2 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: CH 2 O +O 2  → CO 2  + H 2 O CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 20

21. The Carbon Cycle in the sea 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 21

22. Carbon cycle re-balancing 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  CO 2  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 CO 2  in the atmosphere . CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 22

23. Importance of Carbon Cycle 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 CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 23

24. 1. Essential For Life 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 24

25. 2. Important For the Maintenance of the Balance in Ecosystems 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. CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 25

26. 3. Critical To Food Chain 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 CYVLE - Ankita 26

27. 4. Important For Climate Regulation 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 . CARBON CYVLE - Ankita 27

28. 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 CYVLE - Ankita 28

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