The Carbon Cycle Vocabulary List

Question 1

Carbon

Answer 1

a chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent

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 occupied by living organisms. The layer of the planet Earth where life exists.

Question 4

Geosphere/Litosphere

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 gas with a density about 60% higher than that of dry air.

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 of an organism run.

Question 8

Photosynthesis

Answer 8

the process where green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.

Question 9

Decomposition

Answer 9

the state/process of rotting

Question 10

Sedimentation

Answer 10

the process of settling or being deposited as a sediment.