Carbon is one of the elements present in all living organisms. It is also a building block for non-living entities such as rocks and carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide serves as a greenhouse gas and traps heat within the earth's atmosphere.
Follow along with the image below.
The combination of sunlight and the CO2 in the air allow for plants to carry out photosynthesis. The animal that eats the plant consumes the carbon from the plant.During the animals' respiration, the carbon is released into the atmosphere. Plant respiration also releases CO2 into the atmosphere. As organisms decay as well as when an animal delivers waste products to the soil, carbon is released into the ground. Root respiration contributes to the carbon in the ground. This carbon can then become fossil fuels over a very long period of time. As humans we use fossil fuels to harvest energy. When we burn the fossil fuels, carbon is once again released into the atmosphere. The ocean also takes in a substantial amount of CO2 to assist with the photosynthesis of the plants that live in the aquatic biome. The cycle then repeats.
The underground acts as a reservoir for the carbon. As the carbon is subject to pressure, it sits for a very long period of time. During this time it begins to change into fossil fuels.We as humans can disrupt this cycle. When we use fracking as a method of harvesting fossil fuels, the carbon gas that is found in the reservoir are released prematurely adding to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. As we continue to increase our use of motor vehicles, we as a species emit more carbon dioxide than before. This also increases the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and in turn increases the greenhouse gases. As the green house gases increase, the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere also increases. The intake is far less than the outtake. The organisms that are able to use carbon dioxide to their advantage such as plants, are greatly out numbered when it come the proportion of carbon in the atmosphere and how fast it can be removed.
An interesting fact about the carbon cycle is that carbon is one of the most abundant substances found in living organisms. It is second only to water. Yet, it is not taught as often as the water cycle, even though it is equally important. This abundance of carbon in living organisms makes up only about 1% of the carbon found on earth. About 99% can be found in the Earth's surface.
The below video describes the carbon cycle from the beginning to about 2:00. Afterwards it describes the nitrogen cycle, so an added bonus!
Carbon Cycle Video
