About Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the so-called integral composition in every life present on earth, ranging from proteins and lipids to even our DNA. Hence, these cycles such as the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and oxygen cycle play a very crucial role in the existence of life on earth.

The steps to be taken or are followed for the process of the carbon cycle are as follows:

1. Carbon content in the atmosphere is absorbed by plants for the process of photosynthesis.
2. These plants are then eaten by various animals and the carbon gets bio accumulated into their bodies.
3. When these animals die letting the process of decomposition, carbon gets released back into the atmosphere.
4. The small amount of carbon that does not get released back into the atmosphere eventually turns into fossil fuels.
5. They are then used for man-made activities, which generate more carbon back into the atmosphere. 
6. The creation of fossil fuels along with sedimentary rocks contributes to the creation of this carbon cycle for very long periods.  

Types of Carbon Cycle Present

There are a lot of processes of the carbon cycle that keeps the carbon content on track on the surface of the earth. To mention them all is a huge process but to mention some of them are as follows:

Carbon Cycle On Land

Carbon in the atmosphere is commonly present in the form of carbon dioxide. Carbon gets injected into the atmosphere through natural processes such as respiration, its industrial causes are burning fossil fuels. The process of photosynthesis involves the absorption of CO₂ by plants to produce carbohydrates. The equation gets carried are as follows:

CO₂ + H₂O + energy

(CH₂O) n +O₂

These carbon compounds pass down the food chain from the producers to consumers. The majority of the carbon exists in the form of carbon dioxide through the process of respiration. The main role of decomposers is to feed on the dead organism and then return the carbon to the atmosphere. The equation for this process undergoes as:

(CH₂O) n +O₂

CO₂ + H₂O.

Oceanic Carbon Cycle

This is the most essentially accepted carbon cycle occurring in the sea. They take in more carbon than it gives out and thus are called a carbon sink. Marine animals convert these traces of carbon to calcium carbonates. Then these form the raw building materials which are required to manufacture the hard shells, similar to the ones found in clams and oysters.

When organisms die their body gets decomposed, thus leaving behind their hard shells. These get accumulated on the surface of the seafloor and get eventually broken down by the waves thus giving birth to limestone structures.

When these limestone rocks get exposed to the air, they undergo weathering and the carbon gets released back into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. 

The Process of Storing and Exchange 

The carbon content moves from one storage reservoir to another through the help of various mechanisms, some of which are in the form of a food chain. In which plants move carbon from the atmosphere into the biosphere through photosynthesis. They absorb energy from the sun to chemically combine carbon dioxide with hydrogen and oxygen from water for the creation of carbon molecules. 

Herbivorous animals digest the sugar molecules to get energy for their bodies. A list of processes like respiration, excretion, and decomposition release the carbon back into the atmosphere or soil, thus helping continue the cycle.

The ocean plays a critical role in carbon storage by holding 50 times more carbon than the rate of the atmosphere. Carbon exchange can occur quickly with the help of the ocean’s surface waters and the atmosphere. In which the carbon content gets stored even for centuries at the ocean depths.

Various rocks like limestone and fossil fuels are termed as the storage reservoirs which help contain carbon from plants and animals of millions of years of age. When they died, some kind of slow geologic processes trapped their carbon and transformed it into natural resources. 

Processes such as erosion release this carbon back into the atmosphere very slowly, huge scale activity such as volcanoes can outburst them very quickly. Burning fossil fuels in cars or power plants also emit carbon thus getting released into the atmospheric reservoir instantly. 

Advantages of The Carbon Cycle 

• It reduces the necessity for the exploration and production of fossil fuel methane. 
• It minimizes the dependence on foreign energy imports and promotes US energy independence. 
• It is of huge help in diverting massive amounts of organic waste from landfills. 

The Slow Carbon Cycle 

The shifting of carbon from the atmosphere to the lithosphere initializes with the occurrence of rain. Atmospheric carbon gets combined with water in search of a weak acid which falls to the surface of the earth in the form of rain. The acid present in it completely dissolves the rocks, which is termed the process of chemical weathering. These steps result in the emissions of calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium ions. They eventually get carried out by rivers to the ultimate destination of the ocean.

There are still plenty of questions that scientists need to answer regarding the carbon cycle and the process of its change. The atmosphere now gets filled with more carbon than at any time in at least two million years. Each reservoir of the cycle gets changed as this particular carbon chain makes its tiny way through the ultimate cycle.

Conclusion

The carbon cycle is the process of carbon compounds being exchanged between the biosphere, pedosphere,  geosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere of earth. The elemental forms of carbon, diamond and graphite, can be found in combination as carbonates in minerals & as carbon dioxide gas in the environment.

Carbon cycle supports the natural carbon cycle by reducing methane gas emissions into the atmosphere.