The Climate System: The Global Carbon Cycle

• The carbon cycle refers to the movement of carbon, in its many forms, between the Biosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and the Geosphere

• There are many ways in which carbon can be stored for long periods of time on our planet. These are referred to as carbon sinks (ex: oceans, forests, trees…)

• Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, also called primary production, and release CO2 back in to the atmosphere during respiration

• Another major exchange of CO2 occurs between the oceans and the atmosphere. The dissolved CO2 in the oceans is used by marine biota in photosynthesis

• However, since the industrial revolution human activity has influenced the carbon cycle by changing land use and has released huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere

• Fossil fuel burning is increasing the atmosphere's store of carbon by 6.1 Giga tones each year

• Humans have created an imbalance in the carbon cycle significantly influencing the earths climate system

Source of Information : Climate Change: A Silent Threat by Sylvain Richer de Forges

The Climate System: The Global Carbon Cycle