Human activities are causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm. When greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide build up in the air, they trap heat, contributing to global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that we only have 11 years before climate change becomes irreversible. In order to prevent further damage, countries have begun enacting policies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. One way to do this is through clean energy projects.
If we don’t take action soon, climate change will continue to worsen. The good news is that carbon dioxide (CO2) can move from land into bodies of water via various mechanisms. Dig into and learn more about it.
What is carbon?
Carbon is an element, meaning that it has a specific number of protons in its nucleus and a unique number of electrons orbiting around it. Carbon’s atomic number is 6, which means that the carbon atom has 6 protons.
Carbon’s mass number is 12—meaning each atom has 6 protons and 6 neutrons inside its nucleus. It is considered to be a nonmetal because it has some properties of metals but not all of them. Nonmetals are elements that have nonmetallic properties (think: hydrogen).
Carbon has three forms or allotropes: diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon (which looks like a heap of black powder). Diamonds are extremely hard to sculpt, so they’re used as jewelry; graphite pencils are easy to make because they’re soft enough for us humans who don’t have super-sharp fingernails; amorphous carbon can be found on peoples’ skin (and other living things) when it absorbs UV rays from sunlight.
What is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle is a continuous cycle of exchanging carbon dioxide between the atmosphere, ocean, and land. Carbon is constantly exchanged between these three reservoirs containing all of Earth’s carbon. The exchange is essential to life on Earth because it allows for photosynthesis and respiration to occur in all living organisms.
The atmosphere contains about 780 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2). The oceans contain about 50 times more CO2 than the atmosphere — around 3,000 gigatons (1 gigaton equals 1 billion tons). Land plants have another 160 gigatons stored in their roots, stems, and leaves, while soils contain up to 2,500 gigatons in total.
How does carbon move from land to water?
Carbon can move from land to water through erosion, leaching, and runoff. Erosion occurs when soil is carried away by wind or water. Leaching happens when rainwater carries dissolved minerals into the ground, which can dissolve carbon stored in the soil. Runoff occurs when rain falls on bare ground and washes it down creeks or rivers until it reaches lakes, oceans, or other bodies of water.
When plants take up carbon from their environment and incorporate it into their tissues (known as photosynthesis), some of that carbon may be released back into the atmosphere when they decompose after dying or being eaten by animals. In this respiration process, dead plants give off CO2 just like living ones do during respiration.
What happens to carbon once it’s in the water?
Once carbon enters the water, some of it can be used by organisms. Some of it will be transformed into carbon dioxide and released into the atmosphere, but some may also get trapped in sediment or returned to land.
What happens next depends on what type of organism consumes that carbon. If aquatic plants use the nutrients they absorb from the water (like ammonium), they’ll fixate atmospheric CO2 into the organic matter as part of photosynthesis and return it to land, where it can eventually decay back into CO2 through respiration or decomposition by bacteria.
In this way, marine phytoplankton perform a crucial role in replenishing oxygen levels for larger animals that breathe out more CO2 than they take in from their diets.
If all organisms consist primarily of water, then why do we call ourselves “carbon-based lifeforms”?
- Despite being 90–95% water, pen and ham soup is known for its chunky bits.
- It is not just the water that makes us human, but the protein, fats, and carbohydrates that give us our distinctive characteristics.
- Carbon, the backbone atom of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, has its unique four valencies that allow the scaffolding to create proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
- There is a theory that silicon could potentially be capable of supporting similar structures compatible with lifeforms, as it also has four val*“encies.
What will happen if carbon is removed from water?
Nothing, as there is no carbon in water. In natural water, small amounts of carbon dioxide dissolve, and increasing amounts cause the pH in the oceans to decrease, causing corals to bleach or burn.
What is the process of transporting carbon?
From peripheral tissues to the lungs, carbon dioxide is transported in the bloodstream by three methods:
1. dissolved gas
2. bicarbonate
3. carbaminohemoglobin bound to hemoglobin
How does carbon transfer between the land and the hydrosphere?
During rainstorms, atmospheric carbon reacts with water to form carbonic acid, a weak acid that falls to the surface. Chemical weathering is the process of dissolving rocks in an acid solution, releasing calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium ions as a result. The ions are carried to the ocean by rivers.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
1. What happens to carbon in the ocean?
Burning fossil fuels releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The ocean absorbs most of that CO2. Through a process called ocean acidification, this extra carbon dioxide lowers the ocean’s pH.
2. What causes oceans to absorb carbon dioxide?
Oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere because more CO2 is dissolved in surface water as atmospheric concentrations increase. Ocean waters naturally have a slightly alkaline pH of 8.2 to 8.6. But when the amount of CO2 in the air increases, so does the concentration of H+ in the seawater. This lowers the pH, which changes the chemical composition of the ocean. It becomes less acidic, which allows for more absorption of CO2. As a result, the pH decreases, even though the total amount of CO2 in ocean waters remains constant.
3. Why does the ocean become more acidic?
As greenhouse gases such as CO2 enter the ocean, they react chemically with water molecules to produce carbonic acid. Because the ocean can’t hold as many dissolved hydrogen atoms as the air, the excess hydrogen combines with the carbon to produce carbonic acid, lowering the ocean’s pH.
4. Where do we get our energy from?
We get all of our energy from the sun. Using green plants, plants use sunlight to make sugar out of carbon dioxide and water. Animals eat plants and bacteria and then take the nutrients made available by digestion back to their cells, where they are used again. Energy is released during metabolism.
5. How much energy is produced through photosynthesis?
Plants convert solar energy into chemical energy from sugars, starches, oils, and cellulose. Photosynthetic organisms provide about 70% of the Earth’s oxygen and about 50% of its food supply. All life on earth depends on plant life. Looking at a forest, it is obvious how important trees are to us, but most people don’t realize that every time one tree dies, another grows in its place.
Conclusion
The carbon cycle is one of the most important mechanisms on Earth, and we’re still learning about it. The more we understand how carbon moves from land to water, the better we can manage our ecosystems and their effects on climate change.
