Carbon Cycle

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We were working on this:

What’s up with carbon?

Visit Carbon Cycle and read through the information. Answer the following questions

List six places where carbon is found on Earth

oceans	air	rocks
soil	plants	animals

Based on the reading, why is carbon important?

Carbon is important because it traps in heat to stop our world becoming frozen.

Based on the reading, why is carbon sometimes hazardous/dangerous?

Carbon is dangerous because it is causing global warming and keeping the world too warm.

You are now going to play an interactive game where you are playing the role of carbon atoms as you travel through the carbon cycle. As you play, write down in your notebook where you’ve been, how you traveled from place to place and any information you deem important about the effects of carbon in the different Earth system spheres. You will use this information to write a story (at least three paragraphs) about your journey through the carbon cycle.

Type your story in the box below. Remember to include where you went, how you traveled from place to place and the effects you (a carbon molecule) have on the different spheres within the earth’s system

My Carbon Cycle Story

I am a carbon molecule. I was just set free out of the underground prison I was in for decades. The humans are pumping out fossil fuels and I am finally set free. I immediately flew into the atmosphere to begin my journey as a carbon atom. There, I was stuck in the middle of two oxygen atoms. Together we became a carbon dioxide atom. After we became a carbon dioxide atom, we left for the surface of the ocean. We got there from diffusing from the atmosphere. It was an exciting journey. After the surface of the ocean, we went to the marine life. This was more exciting! We went through photosynthesis of a phytoplankton. After that, the phytoplankton were eaten by other larger marine life. All of the marine animals depend on the phytoplankton and the carbon dioxide to live. Next, after that, the fish we were in died. We were now out of the phytoplankton and the fish. We were in the deep ocean. We were quite bored for the next hundred or so years, for when carbon dioxide gets to the deep, deep ocean, it stays there for quite a long time. After a little while, we were evaporated back into the atmosphere. But we were far from the end of our journey. We soon left the atmosphere and entered the land plants. Plants also go through photosynthesis, so we entered the plants through there. Sadly, a few days later, the flower we were in died. The flower began to decompose, and we found ourselves in the soil. We stayed there for a while, and after that, we made our way back to the atmosphere for a rest. It was a long, tiring journey, and it will soon begin again.

Bonus reflection questions. If you are finished with your story, use the “extra time” to answer the following questions in complete paragraphs:

1. How do you think the carbon cycle is affected by deforestation?

All of the carbon atoms in the trees are entering the carbon cycle.

2. How will the carbon cycle be affected by reduced automobile and/or fossil fuel use?

There is carbon is fossil fuels, so it will enter the atmosphere.

3. As we burn more fossil fuels, the carbon cycle gets out of balance; more and more carbon is added to our atmosphere as carbon dioxide. What are some things that you could do to keep the carbon cycle more balanced, so that less carbon dioxide is added to our atmosphere?

We could carpool, ride bikes, stop chopping down trees, and recycle paper.

Then we had to write a summary on the Greenhouse Effect:

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of many different gases. When the sun’s radiation warms the Earth, some gases called Greenhouse gases trap in the warmth, only letting a small amount of warmth rebound back into space. The natural process between the sun, the atmosphere, and the Earth is called the Greenhouse Effect. These phenomenon are called the Greenhouse Effects because greenhouse gases act the same way that a  greenhouse window would, trapping in the heat so that the plants can grow. The atmosphere has a number of different gases which trap in heat for the Earth. To maintain a safe balance of heat, the balance between the gases must not be upset, or the world will become hotter. The greenhouse gases are usually water vapour, carbon dioxide (Co2), methane (which comes from rotting trash), nitrus oxide (formed from dying or dead plants), and ozone. Some of man’s deeds have also caused greenhouse gases, which is starting to be unhealthy for the Earth. This is Global warming. If there is too much of a greenhouse gas in the air, it begins to make the world hotter and hotter. This act is global warming. If we continue this, the world could become to hot to live in. Imagine that!