Instead of Returning to the Atmosphere, the Carbon from These Life Forms Is Trapped Within

Carbon Cycle 3.8

Every so often, a plant or animal does not decompose right away. Their bodies are trapped, in locations where decomposition can simply not take place. This is most common at the bottom of oceans and seas, where the life form becomes buried in sand.

Instead of returning to the atmosphere, the carbon from these life forms is trapped within the earth. More and more of the carbon on earth has been trapped in this manner. Today, almost 99% of all carbon on Earth has been locked up deep within the Earth.

Plants and animals that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas over millions of years.

Humans retrieve fossil fuels from the ground and use them in many ways. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores show us that there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years. Unfortunately, the extent of its importance is rarely stressed enough. Without the proper functioning of the carbon cycle, every aspect of life could be changed dramatically.

VOCABULARY

1. Carbon Cycle: The combined processes including photosynthesis, decomposition, and respiration by which carbon as a component of various compounds cycles between its major reservoirs- the atmosphere, the ocean, and living things.

2. photosynthesis: Process by which plants extract carbon form the air and other elements to make its food

3. respiration: Process by which plants and animals exchange gases with its environment.

4. decomposers: organisms ,bacterium or fungus, feeds on and breaks down dead plants or animal matter

5. decomposition: The breaking down of a living organism to its smallest element.

6. fossil fuels: Naturally occurring minerals from living matter fond in the Earth; petroleum (oil), coal, natural gas

7. combustion: A chemical change producing heat and light; burning.

8. producers: Plants or animals that make their own food and are eaten by other animals.

9. consumers: Eat plants (producers) and or other animals that survive by consuming producers