How does carbon move between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere? Explore: Use the Gizmo to create a path for carbon that begins and ends in the atmosphere. Finally, summarize very briefly how the carbon atom got to that location.
Create: Click Reset. Use the Gizmo to create a path in which the carbon atom goes from the atmosphere to the hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere. Describe each transition briefly.
Atmosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere Geosphere
Atmospheric CO2 Ocean Marine plants/algae Sediments
Volcanoes, burning Rain water During photosynthesis, Uneaten plants and algae
fossil fuels, and breaks down marine algae and plants drift down to the ocean
other sources exposed rocks remove carbon dioxide floor and becomes apart
of marine sediments
1. Explain: Based on the Gizmo, explain how the following transitions might take place?
2. Describe at least two ways that carbon can get from a land plant to the atmosphere.
3. Describe at least two ways that carbon can get from the atmosphere to the hydrosphere.
4. Can you find two ways that carbon can get from the ocean to the lithosphere?
5. Describe at least two ways that carbon can get from seashells to the atmosphere.

The carbon cycle refers to the movement of carbon throughout all spheres in the environment.

The carbon cycle is one of the biogeochemical cycles in nature. Biogeochemical cycles are cycles in which essential elements move through the different spheres of the environment.

Carbon enters the atmosphere through respiration of animals. Generally plants trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. This is how carbon enters the biosphere. In the hydrosphere, oceans dissolve carbon dioxide as bicarbonate ions which serve as buffer in the oceans. This is how carbon enters the hydrosphere. Also rain drops dissolve carbon dioxide as it falls. Carbon enters the geosphere through decomposition of biomass.

Carbon gets to the land plants to the atmosphere when the plant dies, decays and carbon dioxide is produced. When plants are burn, carbon dioxide is also released to the atmosphere.

Carbon can move from the land to the atmosphere through combustion of matter and respiration of animals. Carbon can get from the atmosphere to the hydrosphere by dissolving directly into oceans or through rain water.

Carbon gets from the ocean to the lithosphere through the carbonaceous shells of some marine organisms and through fossil fuels and rocks that form in oceans.

Carbon can get from seashell to the atmosphere when the shells are burnt or the organism dies, decay and CO2 is returned to the atmosphere.

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See it in the explanation

Explanation:

1) Carbon moves from atmosphere to hydrosphere and biosphere in the process of photosynthesis and to lithosphere by deposition of dead bodies while from hydrosphere and biosphere, carbon can be move in the process of respiration by animals.

2) During respiration process which takes place in plants in which carbondioxide is released and by eating carbon containing food by animals. By decomposing the food, carbon is releases in the form of carbondioxide.

3) Carbon can be used by the marine plants in the process of photosynthesis and during the process of diffusion, carbon is also dissolve in water bodies.

4) When the plants and animals die, the carbon which is present inside their body is buried in the soil present at the bottom of the ocean and the shells and corels of some animals also contain carbon which is soon be the part of the lithosphere when they die.

5) After the decomposition of seashell, carbondioxide is produced because shells are made up of calcium carbonate.