The Carbon Cycle

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Intro
There are lots of natural processes constantly happening all around us, these processes are often linked by passing one type of atom to the next process which passes the same atom to the next one and so on. This ‘passing of the atom’ along a chain of processes is called a cycle, the series of processes in which the carbon atom goes through is called the carbon cycle. Each Carbon is the fourth most affluent element in the universe and is an important part of most molecules that make up most of the world’s natural resources and organic matter, which is why the carbon cycle is one of the most important cycles on earth. Through-out the cycle, carbon can become several different forms such as sugar, oil, diamond and marble. Processes such as photosynthesis, combustion and the compression of the earth play key roles in changing, containing and releasing carbon. All the chemical reactions and processes and forms carbon creates are part of the carbon cycle, which is one of the most important cycle on earth. The majority of carbon on earth is in the atmosphere the rest is stored in rocks, fossil fuels, oceans, plants and soil. Carbon is constantly being added to the atmosphere, the most common forms being carbon dioxide and methane gas. At the same time it’s being removed by plants on land and in the oceans. Carbon can be stored for hundreds of years in sediment, fossil fuels, rocks and the ocean. The carbon in the atmosphere is almost always a compound called carbon dioxide.

The addition of carbon to the atmosphere
Currently the earth’s atmosphere contains most of the world’s carbon, in 2010 carbon levels in the atmosphere were measured at 18.4 billion metric tonnes.
Respiration and excretion
The most common natural wa...

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...d used in photosynthesis. The carbon dioxide can also amalgamate with water to create carbonic acid. Carbon dioxide (CO2) + water (H2O) = carbonic acid (H2CO3) which turns into carbon compounds which sink down to the sea bed, these carbon compounds often. Carbon is also consumed by aquatic plants and used in photosynthesis which is similar to the process in non-aquatic plant but there is an abundance of water and a limited amount of carbon atoms.

Length of stages
Carbon can remain in one stage of the cycle for an hour and in others up to 200 million years, it depends on the stage in the cycle. Carbon, in the form of coal, oil and even diamonds, can remain underground anywhere from one million to 200 million years, longer than any other stages in the cycle. Whereas the carbon being consumed by plants for photosynthesis, carbon can be released in a matter of hours.

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