12/5/2019

Carbon Cycling, Photosynthesis/Respiration, and Biomes:

Carbon’s Role in Global Climate Change

Carbon Cycling
C
Global Climate Change Education:
Biology Module

Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change

Major Concepts: First a bit about carbon
1) Carbon
- 4th most common element on Earth
- THE building block of life • Fourth most common element on
2) Carbon cycles among biotic and abiotic reservoirs Earth (H, He, O, C)
- sources and sinks
- different timescales of movement (hours to millions of years)
3) Atmospheric carbon in the form of CO2
- increasing rapidly
- now at exceptionally high concentrations
- high concentration adds to the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect
- affects global climate
4) Primary source of increasing atmospheric CO2
- human activity

5) We can reduce the rate and magnitude of CO2 increase in the

atmosphere and address global climate change.

First a bit about carbon First a bit about carbon

• Carbon’s atomic structure allows it to bind to
• Carbon is THE building block of
up to four other elements at once
life
• This makes carbon very important for living
things

GCCE/ASIM Biology Module 1


First a bit about carbon
• Where is carbon found?
• Where does it go?
Carbon Cycling
• Atmosphere-gases
surrounding our
planet
• Biosphere-all the
living things on our
planet
• Hydrosphere-all of
the salt and fresh
water on our planet
• Lithosphere-all the
rocks and minerals
on our planet
Source and Sink
• Source-an area where
carbon is easily
removed
• Sink-an area where
carbon is not easily
removed and therefore
can build up over time
GCCE/ASIM Biology Module
12/5/2019
First a bit about carbon
That is what you will discover in
today’s activity!
Carbon Cycling
Air (Atmosphere)
Water (Hydrosphere)
Land (Lithosphere)
Organisms (Biosphere)
Source and Sink
• In the carbon cycle atoms
move to and from these
source and sink areas all the
time
• Movement can happen at
very different time scales-
from hours to millions of
years
2

How can carbon “move”?
• Diffusion
• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Combustion
• Sedimentation
• Erosion
How can carbon “move”?
• Photosynthesis-production
of sugar (C6H12O6) from
solar energy, CO2 and
water by plants and other
photosynthetic organisms
How can carbon “move”?
• Combustion-carbon
locked in living and
dead organic matter
under proper
conditions of heat and
oxygen rapidly oxidize
or burn
• This releases energy in
the form of heat and
produces gases such as
carbon monoxide (CO)
and carbon dioxide
(CO2)
GCCE/ASIM Biology Module
12/5/2019
How can carbon “move”?
• Diffusion-process
by which
molecules move
from an area of
high concentration
to an area of low
concentration
How can carbon “move”?
• Respiration-the
metabolism of sugars
(C6H12O6) to produce
chemical energy for
growth and reproduction
• One of the major
byproducts is CO2 gas
• All living things respire,
both plants and animals
How can carbon “move”?
• Sedimentation-
slow
accumulation
of material in
one place.
Over long
periods of time
this material
can solidify
and form rock
3
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How carbon can “move”? How can carbon “move”?

• Fossil fuels can be considered a special type of • Erosion- the process by
sedimentation which particles of soil
are washed into water.
• This term is also used to
describe the breakdown
of harder materials such
as rock due to the action
of water

Why is carbon cycling important? Why is carbon cycling important?

• For the last 1000 years • For the last 1000 years
the carbon cycle has the carbon cycle has
been in balance been in balance
• In the last 100 years • In the last 100 years
carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has been atmosphere has been
rising rising
• Carbon dioxide Graph by Robert Simmon, based on data from the NOAA Climate M onitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory • Carbon dioxide Graph by Robert Simmon, based on data from the NOAA Climate M onitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory

concentrations in the concentrations in the

atmosphere are higher atmosphere are higher
now than in the last 20 now than in the last 20
million years million years
Greenland Ice
core data
Ice core data

Carbon and global climate change Carbon and global climate change
• CO2 is the most
•CO2 is a greenhouse significant greenhouse
gas which help keep the gas.
planet warm • Levels of CO2 are
•Too much CO2 may increasing
lead to global warming.
•Why? • Why?

GCCE/ASIM Biology Module 4

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Why more CO2? Why more CO2?

•The human • In the late 1800’s

population has (1850-1870) The
grown industrial
tremendously in revolution
the last 200 years
occurred
•All those people
need and use
energy

Why more CO2? Why more CO2?

•Most of that •Most of that

energy energy
comes from comes from
fossil fossil
fuels…a fuels…a
carbon sink carbon sink

Other human impacts Human impacts

• Remember that plants • As humans
and other photosynthetic clear more land
organisms are important and burn more
for removing CO2 from fossil fuels we
the atmosphere. dramatically
• Slash and burn increase the
agriculture and amount of CO2
urbanization are going into the
reducing the amount of atmosphere
carbon that can be
removed

GCCE/ASIM Biology Module 5

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What can we do? Energy Use

• Some questions remain unanswered about the
• Reduce fossil fuel use
carbon cycle.
• Non-fossil fuel energy sources
• We do know that humans have produced a • Solar
large amount of CO2 and other greenhouse • Wind
gases in the atmosphere based many different • Hydroelectric
types of data • Hydrogen
• Production of CO2 continues to this date, but • Biofuels
it is something that we can control • Nuclear
• Geothermal

Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change

Carbon Mitigation Major Concepts & Summary:
1) Carbon
- 4th most common element on Earth
• Carbon sequestration - THE building block of life
• Forestry-carbon bound up in forest 2) Carbon cycles among biotic and abiotic reservoirs
products - Sources and sinks
• Agriculture-no till  atmosphere
 biosphere
• CO2 injection-coal seams and saline  hydrosphere
 lithosphere
aquifers
• Biocharcoal - Different timescales of movement (hours to millions of years)
 diffusion
 photosynthesis
 respiration
 combustion
 sedimentation
 erosion

Carbon Cycling and Global Climate Change

Major Concepts & Summary:
3) Atmospheric carbon in the form of CO2
- increasing rapidly
 100 years
- now at exceptionally high concentrations
 higher than last 20 million years
- high concentration adds to the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect
- affects global climate

4) Primary source of increasing atmospheric CO 2

- human activity
 burning of fossil fuels releases carbon from lithosphere

5) We can reduce the rate and magnitude of CO 2 increase in the

atmosphere and address global climate change.

 reduce fossil fuel use through conservation and efficiency

 use non-fossil fuel energy sources
 carbon sequestration

GCCE/ASIM Biology Module 6