2. What is Carbon?
•An element
•The basic building blocks of humans,
animals and trees and some
greenhouse gases
•Found in rocks, oceans, atmosphere

3. What is Carbon Cycle?
The same carbon atoms are used
repeatedly on earth. This cycle is
between the earth and the
atmosphere.

5. Plants use CO2
•Plants pull carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and use it to make food
(photosynthesis).
•The carbon becomes part of the
plant (stored food).

6. Animals eat plants
When organisms eat plants, they take
in the carbon and some of it becomes
part of their own bodies.

7. Plants and Animals 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 deposits underground.

8. Carbon Slowly Returns to
Atmosphere
•Carbon in rocks and underground
deposits is released very slowly into
the atmosphere.
•This process takes many years.

9. Cycle repeats over and
over and over and over…

10. Carbon Cycle Diagram
Carbon in Atmosphere
Plants use
Decomposers break
carbon to make
down dead things,
food
releasing carbon to
atmosphere and Plants and
soil animals die
Fossil fuels are Animals eat
burned; carbon is plants and take
returned to Bodies not in carbon
atmosphere decomposed —
after many years,
Carbon slowly become part of oil
released from or coal deposits
these substances
returns to
atmosphere

11. The Carbon Cycle

12. Why carbon cycle is
important?
Many elements have cycle, but the cycling of
carbon atoms is particularly important
because:-
•Through photosynthesis and respiration, it is
the way the earth produces food and other
renewal resources.
•Carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a key role in
trapping heat in the atmosphere - one of the
basic mechanisms behind the greenhouse
effect.
•Carbon plays a central role in combustion.

13. Human Impact
•Fossil fuels release carbon stores
very slowly
•Burning anything releases more
carbon into atmosphere-especially
fossil fuels
•Increased carbon dioxide in
atmosphere increases global warming
• Fewer plants mean less CO2
removed from atmosphere

15. What we need 2 do?
•Burn less, especially fossil fuels
•Promote plant life, especially trees

16. Questions
•What is carbon?
•What is a carbon cycle?
•How does the carbon cycle form?
(answer in brief)
•What is the importance of carbon
cycle?
•Are the humans also a part of the
carbon cycle? How?
•What can we do to reduce the rate of
carbon cycle?