Carbon Cycle Definition
The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle where different forms
of carbon compounds are cycled through the Earth’s various
systems like the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and
geosphere.
The carbon cycle determines the flow of carbon between
reservoirs, from the atmosphere to the living beings, and
back to the atmosphere in a cyclic process.
Various factors like living beings influence the carbon cycle,
change in climate, ocean chemistry, and even geochemical
activity.
Carbon is an essential component of living beings as well as
non-living things in the form of organic and inorganic
compounds.
It is the essential element for various biomolecules like
carbohydrates, amino acids, and nucleotides.
The primary source of carbon on Earth is CO2 which either
remains in the air or dissolved in water.
The cycling of carbon from one form to another occurs
between reservoirs by different processes
like photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion.
The principal reservoirs of carbon include the atmosphere,
the oceans, and three land compartments consisting of
land plants, their detritus, and soils, collectively called the
terrestrial biosphere.
Components like rivers, lakes, and animals are not
considered significant reservoirs, but they perform as a
part of the pathways linking the terrestrial biosphere to the
oceans and the atmosphere.
The lithosphere that stores very large amounts of carbon in
limestone and shale forms the fourth reservoir, but it is not
considered as important as it interacts very slowly with the
other reservoirs.
As the Earth is a closed system, the amount of carbon on the
Earth doesn’t change, but the concentration of carbon in a
reservoir might change depending on the carbon cycle
process.
The carbon cycle is an important natural phenomenon as it
balances the amount of carbon in different forms to make
the Earth a hospitable habitat.
The carbon cycle can be classified as a fast and slow carbon
cycle depending on the time required for the movement of
carbon compounds from one reservoir to another.
, The Slow Carbon Cycle
The slow carbon cycle is defined by the cyclic movement of
carbon compounds between the atmosphere, land, and the
ocean that usually takes between 100 to 200 million years.
The slow carbon cycle constitutes the lithosphere reservoir
where the carbon is stored in the rocks and soil, which then
slowly cycles to the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
This cycle moves about 1011-1013 grams of carbon in a year
through different reservoirs.
The slow carbon cycle begins with the formation of carbonic
acid when the atmospheric carbon combines with the
water.
The acid then dissolves the rocks causing the release of
carbon and calcium compounds and their flow into rivers,
finally moving into the oceans.
The calcium with carbon compounds forms calcium
carbonate, which forms shells and sediments in the form of
layers at the bottom of the ocean.
The carbon stored in the ocean then moves to the
atmosphere by processes like volcanoes, which causes the
release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The balancing of carbon amounts in a different reservoir in
the slow carbon cycle takes a few thousand years.
The Fast Carbon Cycle
The fast carbon cycle is the movement of carbon through
the living component of the Earth or the biosphere that
usually occurs within a short period of time.
The fast carbon cycle operates on a daily basis with the
exchange of gases between living beings that influence the
changes in the carbon storage for decades.
The cycle moves more than 1015 to 1017 grams of different
carbon forms in a year.
Living beings are the major reservoirs of carbon in the fast
carbon cycle as carbon forms an essential component of
life in the form of biomolecules.
The movement of carbon in the fast carbon cycle begins
with the uptake of carbon dioxide by green plants from the
atmosphere.
Plants then convert the carbon dioxide into organic form by
the process of photosynthesis.
The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle where different forms
of carbon compounds are cycled through the Earth’s various
systems like the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and
geosphere.
The carbon cycle determines the flow of carbon between
reservoirs, from the atmosphere to the living beings, and
back to the atmosphere in a cyclic process.
Various factors like living beings influence the carbon cycle,
change in climate, ocean chemistry, and even geochemical
activity.
Carbon is an essential component of living beings as well as
non-living things in the form of organic and inorganic
compounds.
It is the essential element for various biomolecules like
carbohydrates, amino acids, and nucleotides.
The primary source of carbon on Earth is CO2 which either
remains in the air or dissolved in water.
The cycling of carbon from one form to another occurs
between reservoirs by different processes
like photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion.
The principal reservoirs of carbon include the atmosphere,
the oceans, and three land compartments consisting of
land plants, their detritus, and soils, collectively called the
terrestrial biosphere.
Components like rivers, lakes, and animals are not
considered significant reservoirs, but they perform as a
part of the pathways linking the terrestrial biosphere to the
oceans and the atmosphere.
The lithosphere that stores very large amounts of carbon in
limestone and shale forms the fourth reservoir, but it is not
considered as important as it interacts very slowly with the
other reservoirs.
As the Earth is a closed system, the amount of carbon on the
Earth doesn’t change, but the concentration of carbon in a
reservoir might change depending on the carbon cycle
process.
The carbon cycle is an important natural phenomenon as it
balances the amount of carbon in different forms to make
the Earth a hospitable habitat.
The carbon cycle can be classified as a fast and slow carbon
cycle depending on the time required for the movement of
carbon compounds from one reservoir to another.
, The Slow Carbon Cycle
The slow carbon cycle is defined by the cyclic movement of
carbon compounds between the atmosphere, land, and the
ocean that usually takes between 100 to 200 million years.
The slow carbon cycle constitutes the lithosphere reservoir
where the carbon is stored in the rocks and soil, which then
slowly cycles to the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
This cycle moves about 1011-1013 grams of carbon in a year
through different reservoirs.
The slow carbon cycle begins with the formation of carbonic
acid when the atmospheric carbon combines with the
water.
The acid then dissolves the rocks causing the release of
carbon and calcium compounds and their flow into rivers,
finally moving into the oceans.
The calcium with carbon compounds forms calcium
carbonate, which forms shells and sediments in the form of
layers at the bottom of the ocean.
The carbon stored in the ocean then moves to the
atmosphere by processes like volcanoes, which causes the
release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The balancing of carbon amounts in a different reservoir in
the slow carbon cycle takes a few thousand years.
The Fast Carbon Cycle
The fast carbon cycle is the movement of carbon through
the living component of the Earth or the biosphere that
usually occurs within a short period of time.
The fast carbon cycle operates on a daily basis with the
exchange of gases between living beings that influence the
changes in the carbon storage for decades.
The cycle moves more than 1015 to 1017 grams of different
carbon forms in a year.
Living beings are the major reservoirs of carbon in the fast
carbon cycle as carbon forms an essential component of
life in the form of biomolecules.
The movement of carbon in the fast carbon cycle begins
with the uptake of carbon dioxide by green plants from the
atmosphere.
Plants then convert the carbon dioxide into organic form by
the process of photosynthesis.
