INTRODUCTION:
Carbon is one of the elements present in the periodic table, represented by a C, it is one of the elements that can combine with other elements to make molecules and it is also the fourth most abundant. On earth, carbon circulates through the land, ocean, and atmosphere, making what's referred to as the "Carbon Cycle. ", and in a non-living environment or things, like rocks, coal, petroleum, dead organic matter and etc., carbon exist, but as carbon dioxide (CO2).
Atmosphere is composed by a lot of gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide is an important gas in atmosphere, which constitute about 0.04% of the atmosphere. CO2, so is important because is one the gas/elements that compose the atmosphere, but it
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The photosynthetic beings incorporate atmospheric carbon dioxide, turning it into organic molecules. The most important steps of the carbon cycle are:
The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by plants and converted into sugar by photosynthesis; animals eat plants and by breaking down sugars and releasing carbon into the atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the decomposing of the organisms, such as plants and animals, carbon returning to the environment; carbon is also exchanged between the oceans and the atmosphere. This happens in both directions in the interaction between air and
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The DNA and RNA molecules, which carries the genetic code, they are the two types of genetic codes, but RNA is often found in virus and bacteria cells, and the DNA into plants and animals. Both of them have the same structure that is, the helix. The helix needs some element to fit/fix on the helix system, and the only one that fits/fixes into that kind of system is the carbon. This is why the carbon is present in many of the process, because the carbon has certain characteristics that makes it different from other chemical elements, some of the characteristics of this element are that carbon is tetravalent which means that the atomic number of carbon is 6 and its electronic configuration has two electrons in the K shell and four electrons in the layer L. thereby having four electrons in its last electron shell. The carbon shares the electrons with four other atoms, so that they complete the octet, reaching a stable configuration. Are formed, thereby four covalent bonds. Was recognized in 1858, by Kekule that carbon in a tetravalent
The emission of carbon dioxide has contributed to 80% to the heating of the earth atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced due the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil. The burning of fossil fuel is very important in our society today, because it is used for cooking, used to produce electricity, for heating, for cooling and also for transportation. The industrialization has led to the use of fossil fuel for running machines and driving cars. The building of fossil fuel contributes towards 80-90% of the carbon dioxide we find in our atmosphere today. When the ecosystems are altered and vegetation is either burned or took out, the carbon stored in them is relinquished to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (What causes global climate change, 2005). Methane is another gas being produced in the process which all have served to increase the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere. Methane is produced from the cultivation of rice, from the burning of coal and from cattle, it has increased by 145% due to human
Carbon dioxide or CO2 is known to be one of a number of gases that are astonishingly transparent to the visible light that falls on the Earth from the Sun, but it absorb the infra-red radiation that emitted by the warm surface of our Earth, to prevents its loss into space. Moreover, CO2 has varied considerably and this affected the Earth’s temperature. Most common source of this CO2 is known as the fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are primarily coal, hydrocarbons, natural gas, or fuel oil that formed from the remains of the dead plants and also animals. The burning fossil fuel that has been created by humans is the largest source of emissions of the carbon dioxide.
Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are important in the cycle of energy to withstand life as we define it. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis have several stages in where the making of energy occurs, and have diverse relationships with organelles within the eukaryotic cell. These processes are central in how life has evolved.
Earth’s carbon levels have followed a natural cycle throughout the past 800,000 years where the carbon dioxide concentration varied from 180 ppm (parts per million) and 280 ppm which resulted in several changes in the environment.. In the grand scheme of Earth, these changes are miniscule and have stayed within the natural cycle. But when looking through the eyes of humans, these changes are drastic causing ice ages, draughts, and rain for years (Goldstein 6). During the last century carbon dioxides levels in the atmosphere have become significantly larger than they ever have in the past 800,000 years. Today these levels are at 390 ppm and show no signs of stopping which will cause temperatures to rise because carbon is a greenhouse gas. When a greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide or water vapor are present in the atmosphere, they absorb the heat that the Earth is giving off, creating a thermal blanket over Earth trapping in heat (Houghton 20).
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating molecule or material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent in chromosomes. It encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Simply put, DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. The discovery and use of DNA has seen many changes and made great progress over many years. James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The three won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work (Bagley, 2013). Scientist use the term “double helix” to describe DNA’s winding, two-stranded chemical structure. This shape looks much like a twisted ladder and gives the DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision.
Carbon Carbon is one of the basic elements of matter (Bush 1230-1231). The name carbon comes from the Latin word "carbo" meaning charcoal. Carbon is the sixth most abundant element (Gangson). More than 1,000,000 compounds are made from carbon (Carbon (C)). "The Element Carbon is defined as a naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules.
A major part of the carbon cycle occurs as carbon dioxide is converted to carbohydrates through photosynthesis. Carbohydrates are utilized by animals and humans in metabolism to produce energy and other compounds. Carbohydrates are initially synthesized in plants form a complex series of reactions involving photosynthesis. They store energy in the form of starch or glycogen in animals and humans. They provide energy through metabolism pathways and cycles. Carbohydrates also supply carbon for synthesis of other compounds. (Berdanier, Pgs 45-47).
Humans and animals breathe out Carbon Dioxide, often referred to as the greenhouse gas, as a waste product. Plants take in this CO2 and use it to make food. This is called photosynthesis. During this process oxygen is released which is then breathed in by humans and animals. This procedure is repeated over and over and a natural balance is obtained. However this natural balance is disrupted by human activity. People of the world are putting more than 5.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. 75% of this is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels are burnt all the time to run factories, power plants and vehicles. The main sources of CO2 emissions are electric utilities, residential buildings, industry and transportation. The other 25% is induced by the destruction of the world's forests. The reason for this is that there are less trees and plants to take in the CO2 but there is just as many, if not more, humans and animals to breathe it out.
Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the regulation of the Earth's energy balance. Greenhouse gases are a group of natural compounds such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the earth's surface warmer than it would if the compounds were not there. The natural gases are the essential reason of the greenhouse effect. An increase in the amount of gases in the atmosphere enhances the greenhouse effect, creating a global warming and consequently climate change. Climate change is one of the most significant threats facing the world today. However the concern and awareness regarding Green House Gases was not vital until Global Warming and Climate Change occurred affecting every living being in the plant along with our planet itself. Author William Nordhaus of Yale University conducted a consensus on the likelihood of substantial warming over the coming century.
Photosynthesis is a key contributor to all living things; photosynthesis provides the oxygen, food, and nutrients that help all living things stay healthy and alive. Photosynthesis converts solar energy into the chemical energy of a carbohydrate. Photosynthetic organisms, including land plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, which are called autotroph...
Photosynthesis is a cycle plants go through converting light into chemical energy for use later. Photosynthesis starts in the chloroplasts, they capture chlorophyll, an important chemical needed for photosynthesis. Chloroplasts also take water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and glucose. The chlorophyll is taken to the stroma, where carbon dioxide and water mix together to make
dioxide is trapped in the atmosphere and this is what causes the climate to raise. Deforestation
The carbon dioxide, also known as a greenhouse gas, remains in the air trapping heat and gradually warming the planet. Other greenhouse gases such as: methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor also contribute to this slow warming. According to Live Science, The state of these gases being trapped is called the greenhouse effect, which is one of the leading causes of global warming (Lallanillia). All the gases are created differently and have different effects on the earth.
The atmosphere is an open system that consists of a gaseous mixture enveloping a planet (Answers.com). These gasses, known as air, include O2, N2 and H2O. The atmosphere is also composed of water, ice and dust particles. Atmosphere functions like a blanket, keeping Earth's heat from escaping into space (Lenkeit). It has also been compared to a greenhouse: like glass it lets short wave insulation inside, but keeps most of long wave ground radiation from going out (Lenkeit).
It was not until 1950, that the carbon dioxide level exceeded the average and almost doubled according to NASA. In the article written by NASA, it was stated that there is different amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere that started to appear in the mid-nineteen century. These gases are produced by the greenhouse effect and other different mankind activities like the burning of fossil fuels, clearing of land for agriculture, and industry. Humans contributed in the change of the natural effects of the greenhouse. The burning of fossil fuels like coil, oil, and other fuels is the number one way that mankind has changed the greenhouse effect. The number one chemical that fossil fuels contain is carbon. When carbon is released to the atmosphere, it mixes with oxygen to create a harmful chemical, known as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the most harmful chemical to the atmosphere because this chemical traps heat in the atmosphere which cause temperatures to increase(Climate Change