1 / 11

The Essential Carbon Cycle: Life's Foundation and Human Impact

Explore the pivotal role of carbon in sustaining life through the carbon cycle. Carbon, with its atomic number 6, forms the backbone of organic compounds, allowing for diverse molecular configurations such as chains and Buckeyeballs. The carbon cycle comprises terrestrial and aquatic processes involving photosynthesis and respiration. As plants absorb carbon dioxide and humans release it through activities like fossil fuel combustion, our actions profoundly impact this cycle, intensifying the greenhouse effect and altering global climates. Understanding carbon dynamics is essential for ecological balance.

cala
Download Presentation

The Essential Carbon Cycle: Life's Foundation and Human Impact

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Carbon Cycle There can’t be life without it!

  2. Chemistry of Carbon • Atomic Number 6 • 6 Protons • 6 electrons • 4 valence electrons

  3. Because of it’s chemistry- • Carbon can bond in chains, rings and other bizarre configurations such as Buckeyeballs.

  4. Because of its chemistry, all life as we know it is based upon this element. • Carbon must constantly be recycled in ecological systems

  5. The Carbon Cycle • Is really several cycles combined together • To simplify we can separate into terrestrial (land) and aquatic (water) based cycles

  6. Photosynthesis and Respiration • What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis? • 6 CO2 +6H2O -- C6H12O6 + 6O2 What is the chemical equation for cellular respiration? C6H12O6 + 6O2 6 CO2 +6H2O

  7. Plants remove Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the process of respiration puts Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. • Living things that get buried without decomposition can become fossil fuels • Land based – coal • Ocean based – oil and natural gas

  8. How are Human Activities affecting the carbon Cycle? • Since 1800 and especially since 1950 • World population has soared • World resource use has soared

  9. We have intervened in the Earth’s Carbon cycle in two ways that add extra Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere • Clearing plants and trees that absorb CO2 through photosynthesis • Adding large amounts by burning fossil fuels and wood

  10. Carbon Dioxide is one of several “greenhouse” gasses. • Models suggest that increases in Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will enhance the natural greenhouse effect

More Related