Hello! this is our first post of 2009 and we are going to talk about the carbon cycle. Since carbon is one of the main important element for our survival today. And do you know that deforestation CAN affect the carbon cycle drastically???
What is a carbon cycle???
The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle by which is carbon is exchanged. The cycle is usually thought of as four major reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of exchange. The reservoirs are:
-The atmosphere.
- Forests store 86% of the planet’s above-ground carbon and 73% of the planet’s soil carbon
- fresh water systems and non-living organic material, which is called terresterial biosphere.
- Oceans.
- The sediments including fossil fuel.
In the atmosphere
Carbon exists at the Earth atmosphere in the form of CO2(Carbon Dioxide). It is a small % and still rising…
Carbon in taken through 2 main process:
-The photosynthesis of green plants.
-Forests store 86% of the planet’s above-ground carbon and 73% of the planet’s soil carbon.
Like what we have said, deforestation affect the carbon cycle, do you know that the carbon cycle is one of the factors to contributes live in living things? But with lesser trees available, more carbon dioxide will not be taken and stays in the atmosphere which results in global warming.
Therefore, there is this project organizations formed in the year 2001, called the “Global Carbon Project”. The main aim of the organization is to reduce greenhouse gases and its causes. Also, their main focus is to educate others about the carbon cycle.Their projections have indicated that we can expect climatic conditions to occur under the IPCC’s worst-case scenario, as CO2 emissions reach 500ppm sometime during the 21 st century.
Carbon cycle re-balancing
Here are some green movement to re-balance carbon cycle.
- Sustainable energy – a shift from fossil fuels energy to wind power and solar power
- Nuclear Power – as an alternative to fossil fuels
- Sustainable design – to reduce inputs and outputs of energy
- Sustainable transport – to reduce reliance on fossil fuels
