The Carbon Cycle

Question 1

Carbon

Answer 1

• carbon dioxide or other gaseous carbon compounds released into the atmosphere, associated with climate change.

Question 2

Atmosphere

Answer 2

• the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Question 3

Biosphere

Answer 3

• the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

Question 4

Geosphere

Answer 4

• any of the almost spherical concentric regions of matter that make up the earth and its atmosphere, as the lithosphere and hydrosphere.

Question 5

Hydrosphere

Answer 5

• all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.

Question 6

Carbon Dioxide

Answer 6

• a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis.

Question 7

Cellular Respiration

Answer 7

• The chemical process that generates most of the energy in the cell, supplying molecules needed to make the metabolic reactions

Question 8

Photosynthesis

Answer 8

• the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Question 9

Decomposition

Answer 9

• the state or process of rotting; decay.

Question 10

Sedimentation

Answer 10

• the process of settling or being deposited as a sediment.