carbon journey

Carbon JourneyELF Activity: Energy 1C

http://andrill.org/education/elf_activities_1C.html

As part of NOAA Environmental Literacy Grant #NA09SEC490009 to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's, ANDRILL Science Management Office.

This material is based on work supported by an Environmental Literacy Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Education (NA0909SEC4690009) and prior work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants ANT-0342484 and ESI-0632175. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NOAA or the NSF.

Image: SmithsonianMuseum

Image: Mineral Information Institute

Carbon in its elemental form as graphite, familiar in most

pencils.

Carbon in its elemental form

as a diamond.

Carbon as a gas compound: carbon dioxide, CO2.

Image: www.noaa.gov

Image: www.mii.org

Carbon as an element in a solid compound: coal.

Image: www.mii.org

Carbon as an element in a solid compound. This is the mineral calcium carbonate, or limestone, CaCO3.

Here you see the larger reservoirs: atmosphere, oceans, fossil fuels, the land, and the biosphere.

Terrestrial Biosphere

Oceans

Fossil Fuels

Atmosphere

Image: www.noaa.gov

The Carbon CycleThe movement of carbon through Earth’s systems is influenced by many geological, biological and physical processes.

Carbon Sinks and Reservoirs

Images: www.noaa.gov

Photosynthesis is a process where plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and using the energy from the sun, create sugars, proteins and other solid carbon-based compounds within the structure of the plants.

Carbon Sinks and Reservoirs

www.noaa.gov

Shells formed by marine animals remove carbon from the atmosphere and the ocean.

Carbon Sinks and Reservoirs

Images: www.nasa.gov

Some of the single-celled organisms which absorb dissolved carbon dioxide from the oceans.

Satellite image showing chlorophyll blooms in the oceans. These blooms indicate large amounts of single-celled organisms undergoing photosynthesis.

Carbon Sinks and Reservoirs

Sediments being formed at the bottom of the ocean. These sediments play an important role in long term carbon storage.

www.noaa.gov

Sediment cores from the ocean floor showing another‘sink’ where carbon is stored.

Carbon Source

www.noaa.gov

Volcanoes release large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere.

www.noaa.gov

Fires take solid carbon stored in trees and shrubs and return it to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.

www.epa.gov

The burning of fossil fuels to produce heat and electricity return large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Carbon Source

Another source of carbon dioxide is the decomposition of organic material which returns large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

www.andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu

www.forestryimages.org

The carbon cycle has been going on throughout the history of the Earth.

www.noaa.gov

The carbon cycle has been going on throughout the history of the Earth.

Image: UNEP/GRID-Arendalhttp://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/carbon-cycle_9d44#

This material is based on work supported by an Environmental Literacy Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration’s Office of Education (NA09SEC4690009) and prior work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants

ANT-0342484 and ESI-0632175. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the National

Science Foundation.http://andrill.org/education/elf/activities