carbon cycle Flashcards
how does carbon get into the atmosphere
cellular respiration, burning fossil fuels, combustion of wood, diffusion from ocean, decomposition of organic matter, oxidation, erosion of rocks, volcanic erruptions
how does carbon leave the atmosphere
diffusion into water, photosynthesis by plants, blue-green algae, and phytoplankton
photosynthesis equation
6H2O + 6CO2 +Sunlight 🡪 C6H12O6 + 6O2
cellular respiration equation
6O2 + C6H12O6 🡪 6H2O + 6CO2
calcium carbonate
CaCO3, made by ocean organisms from dissolved CO2 and calcium ions to build shells and skeletons
how is calcium carbonate involved in the carbon cycle
removes CO2 from the ocean, skeletons and shells from dead organisms become rocks or fossil fuels
how do humans impact the carbon cycle
clear trees and plants that absorb CO2 quickly, burn fossil fuels and add large amounts of CO2 to atmosphere, agricultural practices add CO2 and CH4
consequences of human effects on carbon cycle
climate change, precipitation pattern changes, ocean acidification, habitat destruction, deforestation, increasing soil erosion, loss of agricultural land, acid deposition, air pollution
carbon dioxide dissolved in ocean water
photosynthesis and consumed into marine food webs, become marine sediments and fossil fuels
what contributes to atmospheric carbon
combustion of fossil fuels and wood, aerobic respiration, diffusion between atmosphere and ocean
carbon in atmosphere
diffusion into ocean, photosynthesis and consumed into land food webs become fossil fuels
how do marine sediments form
carbon dioxide dissolved into water, terrestrial rocks weather and leached into runoff
terrestrial rocks in the carbon cycle
formed from uplifted marine sediments, add to volcanic activity or weathered
