THE CARBON CYCLE

(1) What is a Cycle?

• Cycle: Continuous movement or
transfer of something.

• Cycling in Ecosystems:
– All Matter (nutrients) continuously
move between organisms and regions.

– Energy continuously moves

between organisms…
• Not ALL energy is 100% recyclable
• Some energy “lost” as heat 
Increased Entropy/Disorder
(2) Carbon
• Type of element or atom

• Common Compounds:
– Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
– Glucose (C6H12O6)
– Methane (CH4)
– Carbon Monoxide (CO)
 (3) Carbon & Photosynthesis

• Carbon Dioxide Removed from…

– Atmosphere or Hydrosphere

• Glucose released into…

– Hydrosphere, Geosphere, Biosphere
 (4) Carbon & Respiration
• Glucose removed from…
– Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere

• Carbon Dioxide released into…

– Atmosphere or Hydrosphere
 (5) Fossil Fuels
• Examples:
– Coal
– Gas
– Oil

• Source:
– Old, compressed, heated remains of organisms
– Store HUGE quantities of carbon inside the earth
(until dug up).
– Release HUGE quantities of carbon dioxide
when burned.
 (6) Carbonates
• Bicarbonate: (HCO3)
– Used as a buffer in organisms + water systems

• Calcium Carbonate: (CaCO3)

– Compound formed from the shell-remains of
aquatic organisms
– Found underground and in water systems
 What Is Carbon?
• An element: 6 protons, 6 neutrons

• The basis of life of earth

• Found in all earth systems

 Carbon Cycle
• The same carbon atoms are used repeatedly
on earth. They cycle between the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and
biosphere.
Processes that transfer carbon
• Between earth systems
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration
- Consumption
- Decomposition
- Combustion (Burning)
- Weathering (rocks break down and release carbon)
- Dissolve/Vaporize (Between ocean and atmosphere)
- Deposition
 Plants consume and
release Carbon
Dioxide
• Plants pull carbon from the
atmosphere or hydrosphere and use it
to make food
–— photosynthesis.
• Plants release carbon by respiration.
 Animals consume and
release carbon
• When organisms eat (consume) plants or
other organisms, they take in the carbon
and some of it becomes part of their own
bodies.
• When they breath (respiration) they
release carbon.
 Plants and Animal Die
• When plants and animals die, most of their
bodies are decomposed and carbon atoms
are returned to the atmosphere.

• Some are not decomposed fully and end up

in geosphere deposits underground (soil, oil,
coal, etc.) or at the bottom of ocean.
 Natural combustion
• Forest and grass fires are a natural,
required part of the carbon cycle that
release carbon into the atmosphere and
geosphere.
• Fire returns carbon to the soil and “cleans
out” unhealthy plants, allowing new plants to
grow.
Carbon Slowly Returns to Atmosphere

• Carbon in rocks and underground deposits

is released very slowly into the atmosphere.
• This process takes many years and is
usually caused by weathering.
 Carbon in Oceans
• Oceans store large amounts of carbon.
• Largest exchange of carbon in carbon cycle
is the dissolving and vaporization of carbon
dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean
surface.
Oceans store carbon on ocean
floor.
Many animals pull carbon from water to
use in shells, etc. When these animals die,
the carbon substances are deposited at the
bottom of the ocean.
 Carbon Cycle Diagram
Carbon in Atmosphere

Plants use carbon to make food

Decomposers break down dead things, releasing carbon to atmosphere and soil

Plants and animals die

Fossil fuels are

Animals eat
burned; carbon
plants and
is returned to
Bodies takedeposits
not decomposed — after many years, become part of oil or coal in
atmosphere
carbon
(Unbalanced)

owly released from these substances returns to atmosphere

Balanced Carbon Cycle

QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Unbalanced Cycle - Human Impact
• Under balanced conditions, fossil fuels
release carbon stores very slowly into
atmosphere.
• When humans burn fossil fuels, it releases
a tremendous amount of carbon into the
atmosphere over a very short time span.
• Increased carbon dioxide in
atmosphere increases global warming
• Fewer plants mean less CO2 removed
from atmosphere
Un-balanced Carbon Cycle
 What is your carbon footprint?
• A carbon footprint is the amount of
carbon emitted into the atmosphere by
your personal, day-to-day activities.
• Examples: Type of car you drive, how far
you drive your car, how much electricity you
use (electricity primarily comes from
burning coal), where the food you buy is
grown and airplane flights.
• Why do we care?? GLOBAL WARMING
 Things you can do to reduce
your carbon footprint
• Promote plant life, especially trees
• Buy a fuel efficient vehicle
• Purchase locally grown food
• Reduce electricity use
• Reduce how far/much you drive
• Take less airplane trips
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Nitrogen Cycle
Geographical Distribution of Soil N
•Soil N linked to C (maybe other way round)
• they are still independent of each other
•N more effectively conserved during plant
decomposition (C/N ratios decline with time)

• Soil N patterns follow global soil C

patterns
•Inputs increase with precipitation (temp?)
•Losses increase with temperature, deficiency of
other nutrients
 Nitrogen Cycling in Soils N2 fixation
by plants
N2 NOx aerosol excess
(gas) (gas
)
3 NO - aerosol
> 0.5 m transport NH4+/NO3- (aq/s)
HNO3
(gasliquid
NH4 + deposition
)
< 0.5 m with deposition
transport

NH3, NOx

N2O NOx
(gas soil production
(gas)
15N=1- ) NH3
3 15N=? (gas)

sea-air flux

N2 N2O + NOx
(gas) (gas)

dissolve dissolve
d NO3 d NH4
(aq) (aq)
15N=?

upwelled
NO3
Simplified View of Soil N Cycle
Nitrate,
Atmospheric N
ammonium, org Deposition N2 Fixation
N (Iex;
(Ifix;
IexRex)
IfixRfix)

SOIL PLANTS
SS
Plant (N
N uptake
k ; 15N kfrom
 ) soil
s p s p p

Plant N return to soil

(Npks; 15Npks)

N Losses to environment
Nitrate, N20, N2 (Nskex; Nskexex)
15
 N cycle within soil:
orgN  NH 4   N2O  N 2
NO3 anaerobic
backtoatmosphere
plantavailabl e
 Climate Controls Total N Amounts and
C/N Ratios: How does it affect form of N
losses
•N isotope composition of soil N reflects the form of N
lost from soils
–Nitrate, N2O, N2 (forms of N lost from plant available forms) enrich
remaining soil N in 15N)
–Dissolved organic N or erosion of soil organic N do not affect
N isotopes of soil N

• Globally, the 15N increases with increasing temperature and

decreasing moisture, which implies that plant availed forms
of N are increasingly lost as climate becomes hot and/or hot
and dry.
–Hot dry climates are limited by water rather than N, so plant available
N can leak out
–Hot/wet environments (Brazil, etc.) are commonly limited by other
elements (such as P) so plant available N forms can also leave…..
How have humans altered the global
N cycle?
Natural N Cycle:
• lightning: <10 Tg N/yr (Tg=1012g)
• biological N fixation: 90 to 140 Tg N/yr

Altered N Cycle (INPUTS):

• N fertilizer: 80 Tg N/yr
•Fossil fuel burning: > 20 Tg N/yr
• N fixing crops: 40 Tg N/yr

Altered N Cycle (OUTPUTS)

•Land clearing/cultivation new lands: 20 Tg N/yr
•Drainage wetlands and oxidation: 10 Tg N/yr
• Total oxidation of N from all ag soils in world (sum)= ~4000 to
5000 Tg N
 Ecosystem Response to
Increased N Inputs
• Increased ecosystem productivity (areas with N limitation)
•Increased C sequestration (up to 1.3 Gt C estimated)
•N saturation
• increased NO3 leaching from soils/rivers
•Changes in species composition (loss of biodiversity)
•Decline in productivity
•Loss of Ca and Mg
•Increase in Al
•NE US, Europe